Premonitions
by Veritas15
Summary: Sasuke’s death is on Naruto’s hands and he’s depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis’ nightmares are just that right?
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kounichis' nightmares are just that right.

**Chapter 1: Nightmares**

The wound finally closed and the blood stopped flowing. Her green eyes traced the wound up from the man's elbow till her eyes met the ANBU tattoo on his shoulder. Her gaze continued until it met his, his one droopy eye seemed to question her while the other glared at her.

"Thank you Sakura," the man said through his mask.

"Kakashi-sensei…" she stopped when she realized her warnings were pointless as he was already gone.

She began to concentrate, feeling for any chakra disturbances that would lead her to her next patients. Suddenly two chakra signatures spiked and dropped to nothing.

'Shit!' she vanished in a cyclone of leaves.

Several moments later, she reached the approximant position of the disturbances and glanced around from her perch on a low hanging tree branch. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Her head slowly turned until she captured the sight in her eyes.

"Shikamaru!" she yelled.

Jumping down from her perch she saw a second form behind the newly appointed jounin.

"Oh, Temari I didn't see you there." she said as she stepped closer.

She stopped as fear began to take hold of her heart, "Shika…..Tema…."

Tears began to fill her eyes as her words failed her.

"Sakura…" Temari choked her name out though the blood that clogged her airway.

"Temari! What happened!?" Sakura screamed as she began to attempt to pull the bamboo spear that was sticking into Shikamaru's back.

"It's too late Sakura, Shikamaru is gone. He tried to save me." Temari's eyes were full of tears now as she hugged man before her.

"Temari let me help…" Sakura started.

"Sakura I never told him," Temari tried to fight the tears that were streaming down her face.

Sakura was still in shock as much over her friend's death as the fact that she never thought she would see Temari cry.

"I never told him I loved him!" Temari yelled as sobs shook her battered body.

Sakura felt this last comment like a punch from Tsunade in the chest. Her own heart seemed to break as she began to cry once again. Sakura knelt down to hug Temari to share her loss, it wasn't till then that she noticed the spear had impaled Shikamaru and was imbedded in Temari's chest as well. Sakura reached a blood covered hand up to her face in an attempt to wipe away the tears that were cascading down her cheeks.

"Sakura go," Temari whispered.

Sakura nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the Sand kounichi to say her final goodbyes to the man she loved.

Sakura moved quickly as if something in her heart was pushing her to move faster. She found Kiba seemingly resting against a large boulder.

"Kiba where's Naruto?" she screamed running toward her childhood friend.

She stopped short of the scene when she noticed the pool of blood around the young man's body. She then realized the boulder was Akamaru. She watched in horror as the large dog's chest fell and rose slowly coming to a stop.

"Fuck!" she screamed feeling an uncommon sense of dread creeping over her.

'I'm still useless…' she thought. 'Even after all this training I'm still not able to protect her friends.'

"Sakura have you seen Kiba!" the shouting awoke her from her thoughts.

She turned and saw Hinata and Shino moving quickly thought the trees toward her. Her eyes told Shino all he needed to know as his eyes moved unnoticed under his sunglasses to Hinata. Her milky eyes filled with tears as she stood their trembling.

"Hinata, Sakura! There is nothing we can do here." Shino commanded trying to keep his own emotions in check.

"Let's put an end to this," he whispered as he leapt up to a tree quickly followed by Sakura and Hinata.

Sakura glanced over to Hinata noticing the tears still streaming down her face.

'Hinata… I'm sorry,' she thought to herself. She had lost a teammate and knew the pain that Hinata was going through. Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice the shurikens flying toward the group.

Hinata hadn't noticed the shurikens either too consumed with her grief over the loss of her teammate. Suddenly she could fell the shurikens as they entered the range of her Byakuugan.

"Shino look…" She was cut off as a shuriken, from her blind spot, ripped through her wind pipe. Three more implanted themselves in her spine. He Byakuugan released as she reached from her throat trying to stop the bleeding.

"Hinata!" Shino yelled as he watched her fall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a kunai flying toward Hinata in order to deal the final blow. His reflex reactions took over as he threw himself in the kunai's path. It hit him imbedding itself in his side. He reached for Hinata trying to catch his dying teammate. He suddenly heard a crackling and to his horror watched the explosive note attached to the kunai explode.

Sakura stood there feeling the cold numbness gaining hold of her body. She tried to scream but nothing came out. Shino and Hinata had disappeared in the explosion. She fell to her knees as the tears in her eyes began to fall more rapidly. Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind.

"Naruto…" she whispered.

Suddenly she felt the strength in her legs again and pushed past the grief in her mind. She moved off leaving two more fallen friends behind. She could sense their killer as he moved off toward the general direction of the main battle. She dropped down to the forest floor and made her way through the undergrowth.

A sense of satisfaction came to her mind when she saw the leaf jounin holding the man by his throat crushing his larnex before dropping him.

"Neji!" Sakura shouted as she revealed herself.

The Hyuuga glanced at her and nodded slightly.

"Where are Lee and Tenten?" Sakura questioned not used to seeing Neji without his teammates.

"Their gone," was all Neji said before moving off motioning Sakura to follow him.

"What?" Sakura saw the two's faces flash in her mind.

'Haven't I lost enough friends today, haven't I shed enough tears?' she thought.

"It was like they knew everything about us," Neji began interrupting her thoughts.

His sudden outburst almost caused Sakura to lose her balance as she pushed off another tree branch. She stared into his milky eyes not knowing what to say.

"They knew all weaknesses and exploited them!" he yelled almost losing control of his close guarded emotions.

"Neji we have more important things to deal with right now!" Sakura yelled.

He stared back at her and nodded in compliance. She had sounded like him and it had brought him back from the brink of being overwhelmed with grief.

"Neji, can you find Naruto and the others?" the pink haired kounichi asked.

Neji nodded and activated his Byakuugan and took the lead scanning for the blond shinobi.

The medical ninja glanced ahead at Neji realizing telling him of Hinata's death was not a good idea. Even though Neji had almost killed Hinata during their first Chuunin exam, and would have if not for their jounin-sensei's interruption. He had trained with her over the past couple years trying to increase her skills with the Byakuugan. Neji had realized after his battle with Naruto that he was free to choose his own destiny but he still felt a sense of duty to protect Hinata especially after reading his father's letter about why he had sacrificed himself from his brother. Sakura knew this and seeing as Neji had almost lost control over the deaths of his teammates telling him about Hinata could push him over the edge.

"Naruto is engaged in battle," Neji stopped before continuing, "He's losing…"

Neji was dumb struck he could handle the fact that there were ninja in the world that were stronger then him but stronger then Naruto?

'It's not possible,' Neji thought.

He glanced at Sakura and noticed the shock in her facial expression.

'After all, she'd been with Naruto from the beginning, had seen his growth from a determined prankster to the most powerful shinobi in the world,' at least that had been what Neji had thought.

'Wait something is wrong, I've over looked something!' he stopped on the nearest branch and concentrated more chakra into his eyes making the Byakuugan clearer.

"Neji, what's wrong?" Sakura had caught up to him stopping on a branch a few feet behind him.

"Can't be…" Neji trailed off and she could sense the terror in his voice.

A sharp pain shot through her as thoughts of the Naruto began flashing through her head.

"Naruto…" she whispered tears falling from her eyes.

"No, it's not Naruto," Neji whispered, "It's everyone else…"

"What?" Sakura shot him a worried look.

"Their chakra isn't flowing though their pathways," Neji spoke trying to keep his voice from revealing the horror and grief that where ravaging his mind.

"What does that mean?" Sakura asked even though she knew the answer.

"They're dead," Neji said dryly using his last bit of strength to hold his emotions back.

"Ino…" Sakura fell to her knees falling deeper into despair.

"What about Gaara and Kankuro they couldn't have been…" she was cut off by Neji before she could finish.

"They're all dead, even Gaara!" his Byakuugan released as his fist clenched at his side trying to hold back the unstoppable flood of tears trying to overwhelm him.

"This isn't possible," Sakura whispered to no one.

"Sakura, Naruto needs our help,'' the voice had not come from Neji instead a silver streak of haired appeared beside her.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura almost burst into tears seeing her former sensei alive.

"Sakura, Neji we have to hurry before it's too late," with that the copy-ninja sped off through the trees with the kounichi and Hyuuga prodigy in close pursuit.

When they finally reached the clearing Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. There he stood their beacon of hope, crushed and bleeding from numerous wounds on his body. She looked into his red eyes realizing he was fighting with the Kyuubi's power.

"How can he be losing?" she looked at Kakashi, "he's using the nine-tails' chakra.

"The enemy is stronger!" Kakashi yelled over the roar of Naruto's and his enemy's life and death struggle.

Suddenly Naruto was thrown back and collided with the ground causing him to cough up some blood. He just laid their unable to move.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

The mysterious ninja's eyes glowed yellow and he removed another bamboo spear from his back. The man's eyes then focused on the three leaf shinobi gathered at the edge of the clearing.

"Say goodbye to your precious demon!" he yelled as he jumped toward Naruto.

The three shinobi moved without thinking ready to protect their injured comrade.

"Kaiten!" Neji began as he started to spin.

The defense managed to deflect the spear enough for it to miss Naruto.

"So you would die for this monster?" the man sneered as he stared toward Neji and Kakashi.

Sakura was making her way to check on the injured Naruto. Before she could reach him a bamboo spear impacted the ground in front of her. She glared at the man standing beyond Kakashi and Neji.

"I think I'll let him watch as I kill you," he laughed, "I'll take great pleasure in watching the determination in his eyes fade from seeing more of his so-called friends die."

The man took a step forward as Neji fell into his stance for his Juukin and Kakashi began forming the seals for the now infamous Chidori. The two jounins charged the man only to be stopped when two bamboo spears impaled them against two trees behind Sakura. She heard Naruto groan as he tried to rise.

"Sakura-chan, run please," he wheezed trying to regain his strength.

"Sakura-CHAN, huh?" she winced as he emphasized the suffix, turning to see the man's yellow eyes narrow as a hideous grin crossed his hidden face.

"I think I'll play with you for a while before I let you join your friends," he laughed.

"No, Sakura-chan run! I can't lose you too!" Naruto cursed as he tried to lift himself off the ground.

"You won't," she said back, a flash of determination appeared in her eyes as she lowered herself into a battle stance.

"Let the fun begin!" the man snickered before disappearing from Sakura's view.

'Shit, he's fast,' she thought, 'concentrate you should be able to feel his chakra.'

"Behind you!" Naruto yelled still struggling to move at all.

"Shit!" she screamed as she spun around.

A deafening thud filled the air. Sakura bend over blood escaping from her mouth as she tried to scream in pain. She had no air in her lungs her mind tried to tell her lungs to inhale but the pain was too great.

"Too slow," the man laughed as he removed his fist from the young women's stomach.

He glanced back at the blond still lying behind him.

"Not going to save your precious Sakura-chan?" he laughed.

He saw the blonde's fist clench but knew he could do nothing. He returned his attention to the pink-haired kounichi in front of him. He leaned forward so his stale breath could be felt on the back of her neck.

"He loves you, did you know that?" he whispered into her ear. "He would gladly burn in hell for eternity if it meant you didn't have to feel pain," he finished and waited for her reaction.

Her eyes shot open revealing moist emerald eyes, showing him she finally grasped what he had said.

"Naruto…" she wheezed.

"Say goodbye to what you love," he laughed returning his gaze to the blonde shinobi.

With that he spun around landing a violent kick to the side of Sakura's head. Sakura flew through the air impacting a nearby tree. She coughed up more blood as she sunk to her knees. The cloaked figure stood on a branch directly in front of her. He reached to the bamboo spears that where strapped to his back. His hand found one and tightened his grip around it. He slide the sharpened piece of bamboo up out of the strap that held it in place and point it toward the kounichi several feet away.

"I don't think I'll use any chakra this time that will make it a lot more painful," his face contorted into an evil grin as he finished his announcement.

"Wait, please!" the blonde screamed his tears running down his battered face and mixing with the blood pooled on the ground.

"Why?" the man replied, glancing back toward the blonde, "You can't stop me and after I kill her I'll still get what I want."

"What do you want?" the blonde begged his crystal blue eyes meeting the man's solid yellow eyes.

"Well now do you really want to know? I'm not sure you'll be able to handle it," the man calmly replied.

"Tell me! I'll give you anything you want!" Naruto screamed as more tears fell down his face.

"I want to see you suffer, I want to watch your eyes as I take away everything you have ever loved, in short this, all of your friends death were just to make you suffer," the man laughed as he watched Naruto's expression change from one of anger and despair to one of complete hopelessness and shock.

"No, No, No, NO!!" Naruto screamed realizing everything was because of him.

"They died for you, and now there is only one of your precious people left," the man watch as the young man writhed in pain, "Now it's her turn to die for you."

He lunged toward the stunned medical ninja. Sakura saw the spear coming but knew she couldn't avoid the weapon. She closed her eyes and waited for the end a single tear rolling down her cheek. But the end didn't come, seconds seemed like hours as they pasted. Slowly Sakura gained the courage to open her eyes again. What she saw frightened her more then death ever could. Before her stood a blonde shinobi, her teammate, her friend. The other man was gone as if he had never been there to begin with. The only evidence he had ever been there where the bodies of her friends littered around the battlefield.

"Naruto…" she whispered her eyes following his hair down his neck to his shoulders.

"No!" she screamed her eyes swelling with tears.

The bamboo spear was lodged in the shinobi's chest and had exited his back between his shoulder blades. The tip of the spear, covered with blood, had stopped only inches from her neck. The blood dripped from the sharpened tip onto her own chest. Time seemed to be standing still, she couldn't breathe, only the blood seemed to be moving. Suddenly the blonde fell to his left, she watched unable to move as his body fell from the tree and impacted the ground below.

"Sakura…chan…" the voice brought her out of her stupor she moved quickly trying to pull the spear out of the man. It gave and slowly slipped from the shinobi's body.

"Naruto don't worry, I'll heal these injuries," she said trying to convince herself as well as him.

Her hands began to glow a faint green as she began to pour her depleted chakra into the blonde's grievous wound. She pushed herself trying to extract more chakra from her drained body. The blood wouldn't stop no matter how much she tried. She looked at him in the eyes for the first time since she began to try and heal him.

'So much pain,' she thought as his deep blue eyes winced in pain.

"Sakura-chan I'm sorry," the blonde wheezed through the pain.

"Naruto it's not your fault, don't listen to him!" she yelled as tears once again started flowing from her eyes.

"Sakura-chan I love…" his voice faded as the light left his eyes. She felt the blood stop flowing as his battered heart finally gave up.

She stared into his dull eyes, her brain struggling to work through her own pain and emotions. She continued to stare at his lifeless body in disbelief. No matter how much she tried to close her eyes or turn away she couldn't. His lifeless eyes captivated her with their sadness; she looked harder hoping her concentration would return the spark to his eyes.

For several seconds she sat there holding his limp form and staring into his dull eyes. Soon a single tear fell down her check and with her left hand she closed his eyelids. More tears followed then sobs as her mind finally processed the information. The pain was unbearable, her heart ached dulling away the pain of her numerous physical injuries. Sobs continued to rack her body she couldn't stop it hurt too much the images of all her friends flashed through her head but the images always came back to Naruto.

"You loved him didn't you?" a voice whispered from behind her, the hot breath wrapped around her neck making her shiver.

She spun around hoping it was anyone that would be able to some what comfort her and share in her loss. What she saw instead made her hear sink deeper into despair.

"You expected someone else?" the large man laughed.

"Why?" was all Sakura could get your through her tears and fear.

"That's easy, that demon shouldn't have happiness in his life, he was happy for maybe the first time in his life. He had friends and he believed he was finally loved, his dream of becoming Hokage was almost in reach," the man's yellow eyes where full of hate as he continued. "He doesn't deserve that respect or that love. He took everything from me, my friends, my family, and my love. I was simply repaying the favor," with that he removed his hood revealing to Sakura's horror a Konoha forehead protector with a scratch through the leaf symbol.

"He's not the Kyuubi!" Sakura yelled, "He's not a demon, he's a man, the best one I've ever known."

Sobs began to rack her body again.

"Ahahaha," the man laughed, "You can't be serious he's nothing but a demon. He deserves everything that has happened to him. But I don't know what makes me happier the fact that he's dead or the fact that in the end even his love couldn't save you!" the man screamed as he plunged a kunai deep into Sakura's chest piercing one of her lungs.

She watched, in horror, as the man pulled the kunai out and disappeared into the surrounding trees. She could feel her strength leaving as she stumbled back toward Naruto's corpse. She fell several feet away, unable to move any further she reached out with her right arm trying to grab him, to be close to him at the end, but she fell inches short. Her tears began to fall once more as she desperately tried to reach him. Her strength though soon left her arm and all she could do was look at his fading outline.

"I love you too Naruto," she whispered as she closed her eyes and her labored breathing finally came to a rest.

A/N: Please R&R. If I don't get any reviews I may not post the next chapter. There is another chapter this isn't a one shot. Ill post more information with the next chapter about the character's ages and such.


	2. Chapter 2: An Unexpected Request

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kounichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Anyway Naruto is 17 in this story which means the rest of the rookie nine is either 17 or 16, while Gai's team is 18. Questions about the first chapter will hopefully be answered by this one.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura/Kyuubi **

**Chapter 2: An Unexpected Request**

Sakura's eyes snapped open as she quickly sat up in bed. She almost screamed because she was alive, but realized that it had been nothing more then a nightmare. She sighed, relief flooding her body as her mind started to remember every last moment of the all too real dream.

'Whew, that was some nightmare. It was just a nightmare right?' she thought to herself as she laid her head back down onto her pillow.

'**Psh, like I would let that happen to Naruto**!' Inner Sakura yelled out.

'Oh, great you're up too huh?' Sakura shot back at her inner self.

'**Whatever, but that was some dream huh?**' Inner Sakura questioned.

To say that inner Sakura had calmed down some was an understatement. She was still bold and sometimes rash but Sakura looked to her inner self as a companion, who knew her so intimately she could share the things that she couldn't even tell Ino. Sakura still wasn't exactly sure if Inner Sakura was a creation of her mind because of her childhood or something hereditary. She would have to ask her mother about it when she got back to Konoha. She was, after all, able to defeat Ino in her first Chuunin exam because of her inner self and Naruto.

'Naruto…' her thoughts returned to the young man and the horror of the nightmare she just had.

'**Wait you said you loved him!**' Inner Sakura squealed in delight.

'What I did not!' Sakura screamed back.

'**You and I both know you did,**' Inner Sakura retorted.

'I was caught up in the moment! It was a very emotional dream!' Sakura argued feeling a slight blush rising to her cheeks in the darkness.

'**If you say so,**' Inner Sakura finished as she disappeared into the recesses of her mind.

"Hmph," Sakura sighed as she glanced around the tent realizing her eyes had adjusted well enough for her to see clearly.

'Seems the rain has finally stopped, thank heaven,' she mused.

It had been raining for two days and had made the trip back to Konoha a living hell. She glanced over to her companion who was sleeping soundly a few feet away. His tangled mass of yellow hair stuck out from his sleeping bag. His face was turned away seemingly unable to look at her.

'Come to think of it he hasn't really looked me in the eye for almost a month' she thought, 'Ever since it had happened he hasn't been the same Naruto.'

She had seen him depressed before for a variety of reasons, but this was different.

'At least before he would just put on his mask and give me his trademark ear to ear smile when ever he was upset,' she mused.

But this time was very different and she knew it. He had killed his best friend and broken his promise to her. For some reason she couldn't decide which of those things was worse in his mind.

'He changed so much that day,' she thought remembering the fateful day when Sasuke had reappeared.

**Flashback**

She was working in the hospital as she did everyday that she didn't have a mission. It was a great source of extra income and it gave her a chance to practice her medical jutsus. She had just finished setting a young boy's broken arm and was just about to start pouring her chakra into his arm to speed up his healing process when a hooded ANBU member burst through the door.

"Haruno Sakura, Hokage-sama request your presence at the east gate immediately," the ANBU quickly spoke before grabbing her and forcing her out the door.

"What is this all about?" Sakura asked but got no response from the masked man.

She continued in silence until the eastern gate of Konoha was in sight. Suddenly she could sense two enormous chakras crashing together. They seemed familiar.

'Too familiar,' she thought as fear began to claw at her heart.

When she arrived she could only describe the scene before as something from a nightmare. Before her stood her teammates engaged in a life and death battle.

"Naruto! You killed him you took away my revenge!" Sasuke yelled as he swung his sword wildly at Naruto.

"What did you want me to do? They were trying to kill me!" Naruto yelled back tears in his eyes as he easily dodged Sasuke's wild attacks.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance. I won't make that mistake again!" Sasuke retorted before settling himself.

Naruto knew the real fight was now about to begin.

"Sakura!" Tsunade yelled gaining the young woman's attention.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were standing off to the side of the battlefield surrounded by ANBU and some Jounin. Kakashi was there too his forehead protector pulled up revealing his Sharingan as he attempted to follow the fight's speed.

"Tsunade-sama, why aren't you helping Naruto?" Sakura almost screamed at her mentor.

"They are on a different level then all of us Sakura," Tsunade almost whispered her eyes still focused on the battle unfolding before them.

"I want to stop this as much as you do, but even Jiraiya and I would only be in Naruto's way" she finished several unshed tears glistening in her eyes as she turned to Sakura.

"What can we do then?" the pink haired ninja begged.

"Pray that Naruto can end this without killing him," Jirairi cut in.

Tsunade just nodded as Jiraiya continued, "I don't know if Naruto can handle killing him, it would destroy him, he wouldn't be the same."

Jiraiya finished before looking down solemnly, his eyes full of worry, before returning his eyes to the fight

"Sakura I'm sorry," Kakashi stated as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry?" Sakura questioned as a tear fell down her cheek.

"I lied too you, I told you a long time ago things would someday return to the way they were, looks like I was wrong," Kakashi sighed and shook his head as he finished.

He quickly returned his eyes to the battle that was being waged a couple of hundred yards away.

"Seems we have quite the audience," Sasuke laughed as he jumped back putting some distance between himself and Naruto.

'Damn it, he noticed. I just hope he doesn't try to hurt anyone else if he does I'll be forced to end this," Naruto thought.

"Well look at that," Sasuke grinned as he turned his head to look more closely at the gathered leaf shinobi, "Sakura is here too. I wonder who she really wants to win this fight?"

Sasuke returned his eyes to Naruto and grinned wider.

"Shut the fuck up!" Naruto yelled as his eyes flashed crimson and a burst of chakra erupted from his body.

He lunged forward throwing a punch Sasuke's way. Sasuke went to block but the fist and the body attached to it vanished right before it hit.

"What?!" Sasuke yelled as he wheeled around only to be met by Naruto's fist.

The punch was crippling. It sent Sasuke into a nearby tree. His body snapped the tree into before impacting the ground behind it.

"It's over Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he walked toward the crater.

"Is it over?" Sakura looked up toward Kakashi's masked face with hope in her tear filled eyes.

"I hope so," Kakashi replied.

"It's not over yet Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he pulled himself to his feat a stream of blood leaking from his mouth and dripping to the ground.

Jumping out of the crater he quickly began forming seals for the copy ninja's signature technique.

"You'll never hit me with that Sasuke," Naruto responded as he noticed the seals his former teammate was forming.

"Who said me target is you?" Sasuke screamed as he jumped over the shocked Naruto.

Sasuke hit the ground and sprinted toward the group of shinobi gathered near the gate.

"Sasuke stop I'm the one you want!" Naruto yelled as he race to attempt to catch the last Uchiha.

"I may not be able to defeat you but I will take away everything from you just like you did to me!" Sasuke yelled back over his shoulder.

Several of the ANBU and other Jounin jumped in front of Tsunade ready to protect the Hokage with their lives. They were quickly joined by Kakashi.

"Sakura stay with Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya they'll keep you safe," Kakashi glanced back at his former subordinate.

Jiraiya flashed through some hand seals as Tsunade moved Sakura behind her former teammate.

**"Doton: Yomi Numa," Jiraiya spoke as the ground around Sasuke turned into a blood red bog.**

**"That won't work on me old man!" Sasuke screamed as he focused chakra into his legs and feet continuing across the swamp's surface.**

**"Impossible," Jiraiya whispered.**

**"Sakura run!" Tsunade screamed as she sensed the murderous intent from the Uchiha directed at the young kunoichi.**

**Sakura tried to run but her body wouldn't move. She could only stare as Sasuke closed the distance between himself and the group of shinobi standing in front of her.**

**Sasuke continued to race toward her as he effortlessly dodged the kunai and shuriken being hurled at him by the ANBU and Jounin. Suddenly Kakashi raced toward Sasuke his own Chidori sparkling in his right hand.**

"You can't stop me Kakashi!" Sasuke screamed as he raced toward his former sensei.

"Stop this Sasuke!" Kakashi pleaded with his former student as his right arm shot forward aimed at the young man's chest.

Kakashi's eyes went wide as Sasuke disappeared from in front of him. His Chidori hitting nothing but air, Kakashi whipped around and to his absolute horror saw with only his Sharingan eye the Uchiha racing toward Sakura.

Sakura stood there in utter disbelief as Kakashi's best attack missed. She had little time to react as her former teammate appeared before her. His grin and cold eyes told her she was about to die. Tears began to once again fall from her eyes as she watched Jiraiya's futile attempt to save her. The Sannin was simply slapped to the side by Sasuke's free right hand. Tsunade stood there her eyes full of tears as she knew she was about watch her apprentice die. Sakura closed her eyes as Sasuke's left arm shot forward the Chidori aimed squarely at her heart. Right before she closed her eyes she could have sworn she saw a flash of gold. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before opening them again.

"Naruto…" was all she could whisper.

She glanced at his hands. In his right he held Sasuke's wrist, the Chidori still chirping in his hand. The chakra had burnt most of Naruto's lower arm and she could see his flesh beginning to crack as blood oozed out.

In his left hand he held his trademark jutsu. The one move he had taken further then anyone thought possible, the Fuuma Rasengan. The blades of wind twisted their way around the tightly packed sphere of chakra.

"Sakura-chan I'm sorry," was all he said as he drove his left palm squarely into Sasuke's stomach.

She watched the raven haired man scream in pain as the Fuuma Rasengan tore through his body. Sasuke's body tried to fly back at the force but Naruto would not release the man's right arm even though the Chidori was now exposing bone as it burnt his flesh off. Naruto's eyes were locked on Sasuke's as soon as the light faded and his Sharingan released Naruto released his friend.

Finally what was left of Sasuke's body was able to react, as it flew back Sakura noticed Naruto's tears cascading toward his feet. She watched through her own tear filled eyes as his knees buckled and he fell face first into the mud.

**End Flashback**

'He changed so much that day,' Sakura thought as she eyed her teammate.

'He's been through so much in his life, between being feared and hated by his village, Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and finally Sasuke, he had been through more then anyone ever should,' she felt tears coming to her eyes.

"He's only seventeen for Kami's sake and he been through more battles then ninja twice his age,' she couldn't help feel sorry for him.

'**You shouldn't feel sorry for him, he wouldn't like it if he knew,**' Inner Sakura announced.

'I know but I can't help it,' Sakura replied

"**I wish he would talk to us,**' Inner Sakura sighed.

"Me too," Sakura half whispered half thought before lowering herself back down to her pillow.

She positioned her head so she could watch him sleep.

'Baka, he should have realized I was awake by now. I swear sometimes I wonder how he's a ninja,' she chuckled inwardly as she drifted back off to sleep.

Naruto, however, had been awake for the entire time, actually probably since her nightmare started. Her chakra had spiked jarring him from his uneasy sleep. As much as he wanted to roll over and see if she was okay, his own fear wouldn't allow him. He knew what her nightmare was about.

'What else could it be about, I killed the man she loved and broke my promise to her, her nightmare was about me,' he thought.

He wished for death every night before he fell asleep, but he couldn't take his own life he was afraid of death.

'I'm such a coward,' he mused .

He couldn't stand breathing when he knew every breath he took hurt her. He remembered the battle and the choice he had made. He would have given anything to go back, anything to change the outcome. He remembered when he woke up in the hospital about a week later.

**Flashback**

He opened his eyes hoping he was dead, hoping he was in hell. He had no right to be anywhere else. He heard the beeps of the heart monitor and the drip of the I.V, he groaned in disappointment. He glanced around his room hoping no one was there. He couldn't bear to face anyone right now, not after what he had done.

'Shit, not her anyone but her,' he thought as he noticed the young women sleeping in the chair beside his bed.

He suddenly felt a shot of pain from his right arm and instinctively punched the morphine button on the machine beside him. The morphine entered his blood stream and he lost consciousness again.

When he awoke again he noticed it was night outside. He shot a glance to the chair beside his bed and to his relief it was empty. The pain in his right arm was significantly less then when he had awoken several hours ago.

'Seems like that damn fox's chakra has finally returned enough to start healing me,' he mused.

Just then the door to his room opened revealing a busty blond carrying a clipboard. Her eyes looked worried and Naruto could tell she hadn't been getting enough sleep over the past few days.

'Well at least one person has been worrying about me, even though I don't deserve such compassion,' he thought as her sleepless eyes finally met his.

"Naruto!" she screamed as tears filled her eyes.

She ran over to his bed discarding the clipboard and wrapping her arms around his lean body.

"Thank Kami your awake!" she cried into his mass of blonde locks.

"I'm sorry Baa-chan for everything," he mumbled as she released him and tried to look into his deep blue eyes.

He couldn't meet her gaze, he knew it would be filled with worry and understanding but right now he couldn't bear to look into her brown eyes.

"Naruto you have nothing to be sorry for," her voice was full of compassion as she tried to comfort the young man she viewed as a son.

She had always wanted a family and when she had met Naruto she saw her brother and Dan rolled into one young man. She prayed that if Dan had survived and she had had a son that he would have been like Naruto. Well the Naruto she used to know not this shell of his former self.

"Well I guess I should go tell Sakura you've woken up," she continued.

"No, please Baa-chan, not her," he cried his fierce blue eyes finally looking into hers.

"Naruto, she's been here everyday since it happened, I had to order her to go home and get some rest, though she wouldn't leave until I promised her I would send for her if you woke up," Tsunade finished and watched as his eyes filled with tears as he turned away from her.

"She has to hate me," he whispered trying to hold back tears as he stared out the window at the star filled sky.

"I believe that's very far from the truth Naruto," Tsunade replied a small grin appearing on her face.

"I don't know Baa-chan, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself," he replied sinking back down into his hospital bed.

"Naruto you did what you had too, no one blames you for anything. Even the council who is usually hard to deal with, especially when it comes to you, have unanimously agreed you did nothing wrong," she finished trying to cheer the boy up.

Naruto turned his head and for the first time saw the flowers and card that were displayed on a long table on the opposite side of the room.

"Everyone has either brought you flowers or a card, even some of the ANBU brought you a get well card though they are unfortunately anonymous," Tsunade smiled at the boy's dumbfounded expression. But the expression quickly turned to a frown.

"I don't want their pity, or yours Hokage-sama," he coldly replied as he turned away from her.

She was shocked by his sudden change in attitude. Tears began to fill her eyes as she watched the young man rip the I.V. out of his arm and proceed to get out of bed.

"Naruto, where are you going?" she asked as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I'm leaving Hokage-sama, please don't make me stay," he responded, no emotion evident in his voice

"Leaving?" she sobbed.

"Don't worry Hokage-sama I'm not going to leave the village, just go visit a friend," Naruto responded.

"A friend?" Tsunade questioned tears still streaming down her face but not as many as when she thought he was going to leave the village.

"Where is he buried Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.

"Where is who buried?" Tsunade questioned.

"Sasuke," Naruto responded.

"Oh, he's buried in a marked grave on the east side of town near the lake by the old Uchiha complex," Tsunade answered trying to regain control of her emotions.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama if you need me for a mission I'll be at my apartment," he spoke as he moved to the window and dawned his clothes that had been folded in the corner. Throwing his hospital gown on the bed he leapt out of the window and disappeared into the night.

"Looks like you were right Jiraiya," Tsunade spoke into the darkness of the room.

"Yes, it does unfortunately," Jiraiya responded stepping out of the shadows in the corner of the room.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Tsunade asked as tears began to fall down her checks again.

Jiraiya moved closer to her and pulled her into a chase embrace, probably for the first time in his life he felt her relax under his touch. Sobs racked her body as he held her finally speaking up.

"He has to forgive himself first Tsunade, unfortunately I don't know if he ever will be able too," as he finished a single tear ran down the toad hermit's cheek.

Naruto stood above the unmarked grave of his former teammate and friend.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you," he whispered as tears began to form in his eyes.

He fell to his knees as the intensity of his sobs increased. Suddenly a new emotion flashed through his mind, rage.

"Why wasn't I strong enough!" he screamed as chakra erupted from his body.

He pounded his hands down on the ground ignoring the sharp pain shooting up his right arm. He continued to slam his hands down over and over until the bandages around his right hand were soaked with blood.

"They all hate me now, Sasuke, for what I did to you," the cried finally exhausted.

"I can't live like this!" he screamed.

"I don't want their pity!" he screamed as he reached for his kunai holster.

Removing a single razor sharp knife, he brought the weapon up until its point touched his throat.

'**Baka, what are you doing?!**' Kyuubi yelled.

Ah, fox it seems you've finally recovered enough of your chakra to be able to speak,' Naruto replied.

'**If you kill yourself I die too you fool!**' the kitsune screamed some fear evident in his voice.

'Good, the village will finally be rid of their demon!' Naruto's thoughts screamed back.

'**Just let me out! Embrace my full power and destroy the village that hates you!**' the foxed yelled a noticeable grin stretched across his face.

'Never! Even though this village hates me I would never let you destroy it!" Naruto responded.

The grin on the Kyuubi's face was gone.

'**Stop this kid!**' the Kyuubi screamed as he watched in terror as the kunai moved closer to Naruto's throat actually piercing the skin.

"Naruto?" a female voice stopped the blades movement, "What are you doing out of the hospital?"

'I can't do it, I'm fucking afraid of death, have I no honor left,' he thought as he dropped the kunai unable to turn and face the intruder.

Finally gaining a small amount of courage he slowly turned his head, what he saw made him wish he had cut his head clean off.

"Sakura-chan" he whispered.

The young kunoichi was holding a bouquet of flowers and staring at him. Seeing the flowers pushed his mind over the edge. Any doubt that was hiding in the back of his mind was gone. She did still love Sasuke and she must hate him now for what he had done to the man she had always loved. He collapse finally feeling the chakra exhaustion he was still recovering from.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed dropping the flowers and running toward her fallen friend.

"Sakura, please kill me. I can't live with the fact that you hate me," Naruto whispered as the shoved the blood stained kunai into Sakura's hand before losing consciousness. Sakura looked at him in shock, tears filling her eyes as she glanced over at the grave of her former teammate. Her gaze then fell on the kunai in her hand its sharp edge stained with Naruto's blood.

"I don't hate you Naruto," she whispered as she dropped the kunai and buried her face into Naruto's chest.

**End Flashback**

'I wonder why she didn't kill me that night?' Naruto wondered still unable to fall back into his uneasy sleep. He rolled over, not even thinking, but soon realized he was facing her. His eyes looked upon her sleeping figure, he tried to look away but he couldn't.

'Kami, she's beautiful,' he thought.

He knew he still loved her, that's what made it so hard.

'Well at least the rain has stopped,' he thought sitting up in bed silently and stepping toward the door of the tent.

The opened the flap and stepped out into the small clearing they had decided to set up camp in for the night. Though it was still dark his night vision was much better then normal humans.

'Stupid fox,' he grinned as he thought about the greater demon sealed in his stomach.

Glancing around he noticed a large tree several hundred feet away from the camp site. He walked up to the tree and straight up the trunk reaching a large branch he slumped down to watch the sunrise. Much to everyone in Konoha's surprise, well except for Shikamaru who seemed to understand perfectly, Naruto enjoyed being outside and quiet to watch the sunrise. He glanced back to the camp site deciding he would let Sakura sleep until she woke up.

'No need to hurry,' he thought, 'We're only about half a days run to Konoha."

He began to think back on the mission he was about to complete, if that was what you could even call it. Escorting some noble to the wave country was hardly the work for two Jounin.

"Especially not for the two of us," he grumbled to himself.

But he was glad to be back in the field none the less. Sitting around Konoha seemed only to make him feel worse if that was possible. Plus, it was extremely boring since he was avoiding all of his friends. He slumped back against the trunk of the tree and let the variety of smells enter his nostrils. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and listen to the forest around him. He kept his eyes closed for several hours just listening to and smelling the forest around him. When he finally decided to open his eyes he noticed the eastern sky was beginning to show signs of dawn.

'Might as well start disarming the traps,' he thought to himself.

But when he tried to move his legs wouldn't respond.

'**This body will be mine!**' a growl erupted from the back of Naruto's mind.

'Bastard fox, what the fuck are you doing!' Naruto's mind screamed back.

'**Taking over!**' Kyuubi growled back as he forced more of his demon chakra into his host.

"No I won't let you!" Naruto was screaming now as he pushed his own chakra levels up trying to suppress the demon chakra surging thought his system.

He screamed in pain as the demon pumped his chakra system full of even more red chakra. Naruto's mind worked furiously trying to think of something he could do. Naruto's own chakra was losing the battle as the never ending demon chakra forced it's way through his body. He screamed again, as he tried to move he fell off the limb he was currently perched on. He hit the ground hard dislocating his right shoulder. He screamed as the joint popped back into place.

"Naruto! What's wrong!" Sakura screamed as he ran toward his huddled form.

"No, get away!" was his response as he writhed in pain.

"Naruto…" her words trailed off as his eyes met her own deep crimson had replaced his crystal blue.

"Sakura-chan run I can't control him!" Naruto yelled as red chakra started to leak out of him.

Sakura didn't know what to do her mind raced as she tried to make up her mind.

'Run!' the logical part of her brain yelled.

'**You can't leave Naruto!**' Inner Sakura screamed.

Her right hand slowly made its way up her left arm to the small scar the man before her had given her.

'You'll only get hurt again you can't save him!' her logical mind screamed at her.

'I have to try, I can't lose him too!' she screamed back silencing her logical side.

She sprinted forward as Naruto screamed in pain.

"You won't win you bastard! I won't let you win!" Naruto shouted at himself.

'**Like you could really hope to defeat me in your current condition!**' the fox barked back.

'What do you mean my current condition?' Naruto's mind screamed trying to overcome the pain.

'**You really are and idiot aren't you!**' the fox screamed back.

'Fuck you!' Naruto fired back his painful screams made his mind's words almost indistinguishable.

'**I thought you would have figured it out by now kid,**' the Kyuubi laughed, '**The seal's strength is tied directly to your emotions. And it just so happens your recent depression and self-loathing has enabled me to weaken the seal enough to take possession of your body.**'

Naruto couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. First he had killed his best friend and was hated or pitied by his friends. Now because of his own weakness, again, he was about to unleash an unstoppable evil upon the world.

'**That's it give in, make it easy on yourself,**' the foxed laughed.

'No I can't let you hurt them, I can't let you kill them, I won't let you kill Sakura-chan!' Naruto's mind screamed back, determination flashing in his eyes.

Naruto fought back pouring the last ounces of his chakra into his own pathways in attempt to purge them of the demonic chakra. But again the greater demon sealed inside him pushed more of his endless chakra into Naruto's body.

"Naruto what can I do?!" Sakura yelled as she near the man.

"Sakura-chan run please!" Naruto yelled back his eyes flashed blue then flashed back a deep crimson.

"No! Naruto I won't lose you too!" Sakura screamed as she lunged at Naruto wrapping her arms around his chest and dug her face into his back.

The demonic chakra swirled around the two, burning Sakura's exposed skin. She screamed in pain but tightened her hold on the blonde. Suddenly the chakra stopped leaking out of the blonde's body and he fell into Sakura's embrace unconscious.

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered into the blonde's hair trying to keep from revealing how much pain she was in. She would heal herself later right now her focus was on her unconscious teammate.

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto wheezed as he pulled his head away from her chest.

"Thank Kami your alright!" Sakura yelled as tears began to fall from her eyes.

She pulled the young man back into another tight hug. Finally releasing him from her embrace she stared into his crystal blue eyes. His eyes searched hers looking for some kind of answer. Then his eyes fell on her arms that were still wrapped around him. She watched his own eyes begin to fill with tears.

"Oh my god what have I done?!" he screamed in horror.

His eyes were fixed on her arms and the burns that were blistering on her skin.

"Naruto its okay I can heal them later just let me take a look at your injuries," Sakura responded hoping to comfort him.

"Because of me… Because of me…" he whispered as he pulled away from her staring into his own hands.

"Naruto?" she whispered as she watched the very sanity of the man before her crumble.

She tried to reach a hand out to grab his shoulder, but he lunged away retreating to the far side of the clearing before falling down in a heap. She just stared at him not really knowing what she should or could do. Part of her wanted to run over to him and hug him and just cry, another wanted to slap the shit out of him for thinking everything that happened in the world was some how his fault, still another told her to stay where she was because if she approached he would simply flee.

'I need to get him back to the village and talk to Tsunade-sama about this,' she thought.

With that she decided to leave the boy alone for now fearing his depression would cause him just to flee instead of talking to her.

'I guess I'll pick up camp so we can get back,' she mused as she set about healing her arms and folding the tent.

When she had finished she glanced back across the clearing toward the blond but he was no where to be seen.

'Where did he go! Don't tell me he ran off?' she thought her mind racing as tears began to fill her eyes again.

She whipped around hoping to find a glimpse of blonde hair or and orange jumpsuit.

"Not him too, please not him…" she whispered tears falling from her eyes.

She could feel the same sense of despair and loss that her nightmare spawned in her the night before. Her heart began to ache as the realization sank in that she had failed another teammate. Suddenly a flash of golden hair caught her eye from the other end of the clearing. Naruto emerged from the trees his eyes focused firmly on the ground. He walked up to her grapping his pack from the ground and walked past her his eyes never leaving his feet.

"Let's go Sakura-chan, I need to speak to Hokage-sama," he spoke with no emotion.

She wanted to punch him back to Konoha for making her worry like that but her anger quickly faded as he turned and began to walk away.

"Wait Naruto!" she yelled as she quickly grabbed her pack and sprinted after him.

Tsunade was sitting in her office enjoying the early afternoon sun that was flooding in through the windows. She had received news that Naruto and Sakura had returned and was eager to talk to her apprentice in private to see if a few days in the field alone with her had any effect on Naruto's mental state. Hell that was the whole reason she had given Naruto and Sakura this mission even if it was only C-ranked.

'I wish they would just hurry up and get here, I need a break from this paperwork,' she mused swirling her sake cup.

A knock at the door caused her to spill some of the alcoholic beverage on the papers littering her desk.

"Damn it! Come in!" she screamed.

The door slowly opened revealing the pink haired young women and the blonde his face hidden by his hair as his eyes still held their lock on the floor in front of him.

"Ah, Sakura, Naruto! Come in!" Tsunade announced as she attempted to dry her paperwork.

The two slowly moved across the office until they were standing before her. Tsunade eyed them carefully as she slumped back into her chair.

"Well was the mission successful?" she asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied before Sakura could speak.

Sakura's gaze turned to her teammate. The past few hours had been a complete failure. Naruto had set a pace that she could barely keep up with on their return to Konoha so she hadn't had a chance to talk to him at all. When they arrived at Konoha's east gate he had only spoken a few words to the guards telling them to inform the Hokage that they had arrived and he needed to speak with her. His eyes never left the ground. Not even now, when he was standing before the women who loved him unconditionally, could he look up from the floor. His shame was too great.

"Hokage-sama, before Sakura informs you of the details of our mission I have a request," Naruto spoke finally removing his eyes from the floor to meat Tsunade's questioning gaze.

His eyes were puffy and red from crying. Tsunade looked from Naruto to Sakura, who seemed to be just in the dark about the request as she was. Her gaze returned to Naruto who's eyes were full of pain and apprehension. The look worried Tsunade but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Ok, Naruto what is your request?" Tsunade asked the worry evident in her voice.

His hands moved to his forehead protector untying the knot he removed the piece of cloth and metal from his head. Holding it out he placed it on Tsunade's desk.

"I wish to resign as a shinobi of the Leaf," he said coldly.

A/N: I know that Naruto and Sakura were a maybe a little out of character but this is how I think Naruto would react if he indeed had to kill Sasuke. His depression has made him lose faith in the fact that he has friends who care for him. Not really that hard to believe based on his childhood. Anyway there are going to be a lot of minor pairings to go along with Naruto and Sakura. I may have a vote later to decide some of them I haven't decided yet. I redid this chapter a little bit because of the grammatical errors; I guess that's what I get for typing it up at 3 am. Between chapter 3 and chapter 4 will have a time skip in it though not a very long one. Question is do you want information on Naruto and Sakura during the time skip which would lead to another chapter more work for me but I'll do it if that is what people want. Please R&R Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3: A Farewell Gift

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update the story school was really taxing but I home now so hopefully I can put out about a chapter a month. I didn't get a lot of reviews for the second chapter I guess people didn't like it very much. Yeah, I know I killed Sasuke in kind of a lackluster way but the flashback was mostly from Sakura's perspective so the actual fighting wasn't the main focus. Also I know there has been a lot of crying and stuff going on in the first two chapters and that will continue in this one but the action and romance stuff picks up after this chapter so please be patient. Also the first chapter will eventually be tied into the rest of the story.

Anyway I guess I'll have a vote for the other pairings besides Naruto x Sakura and Temari x Shikamaru. Try to stick to some kind of age requirements. So tell me what you want and I'll try and work in the most popular.

Also there will be a time skip after this chapter if you want me to write a chapter that takes place during the skip then I will it will be more work for me but I'll do it if people want me too. Please respond to these questions and tell me if I should do anything to make the story better criticism is appreciated in my eyes. Thanks.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura/Kyuubi **

**Chapter 3: A Farewell Gift**

"What?!" Tsunade asked the shocked expression on her face would have made Naruto laugh if it was under different circumstances.

Sakura just stood there on the verge of tears, she could feel in her heart she was about to lose a second teammate.

"I wish to resign as a shinobi of the Leaf," Naruto restated trying the keep his own emotions out of the conversation.

"Why?!" this time Sakura cut in.

"You of all people should know why I have to do this," Naruto calmly replied finally meeting her gaze.

She stared into his eyes seeing the emotions Naruto had become so adept at hiding.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered seeing the loneliness and pain the young shinobi was going through.

"What about becoming Hokage?" Tsunade questioned hoping bringing up the boy's lifelong dream would force him to reconsider.

"Hokage-sama, Sakura-ch…, Sakura I am doing this for everyone in Konoha, especially for the two of you," Naruto responded.

Sakura stiffened when she heard him force himself to remove the suffix from her name. Naruto knew this was going to be hard on the two but he had already made up his mind and their questions were becoming, well, troublesome.

"Naruto…" Tsunade started before Naruto cut her off.

"Hokage-sama, I am well within my rights to resign, but I have another request," Naruto interrupted raising his voice a little trying to emphasize his point.

Sakura and Tsunade glanced at the teen questionly trying to figure out what else he could possibly want.

"What is your other request Naruto?" Tsunade asked staring into the young man's eyes realizing this was hurting him as much as her and her apprentice.

'**Maybe he wants us to come!**' Inner Sakura squealed.

Sakura didn't bother to respond she knew Inner Sakura's perverted train of thought, was very far from the truth.

"First I wish to leave Konoha," he stopped watching the tears creep into the two women's eyes, "Second; I need Jiraiya-sama to accompany me."

"Jiraiya isn't in the village right now Naruto, he's on a mission but he should return some time tonight," Tsunade announced fighting back tears.

"That's fine I need time to get my affairs in order, we'll leave tomorrow morning," Naruto responded as he turned to leave the Hokage's office.

"Naruto, I haven't agreed to any of this and neither has Jiraiya," Tsunade's words stopped the teen's retreat.

"It's either this or I leave by force and Jiraiya will accompany me after I explain the situation to him," Naruto coldly replied without turning around.

"Naruto what is the situation and what part does Jiraiya play?" Tsunade asked determined to get the reason behind the blonde's unexpected request.

"To put it simply Konoha is not safe with me living here," Naruto answered determined not to tell Tsunade the true reason why he needed to leave.

Sakura would surely give Tsunade all the horrifying details after he left. Naruto couldn't stand here in front of his two most precious people and listen to the girl he loved tell the closest thing he had ever had to a mother about how he had hurt her.

"Naruto that makes no sense how could Konoha be safer without you?" Tsunade asked already knowing the answer but not wanting to believe it.

"I have lost the ability to control the Kyuubi. I cannot risk the fox taking control over my body while I'm still in Konoha or on a mission," Naruto answered.

"So why do you need Jiraiya?" Tsunade continued, trying to hear the boy out before punching him through a wall for always risking his life for others without allowing those who cared for him to do the same.

"Jiraiya is the only one strong enough to help should it happen," Naruto replied vaguely.

"If what should happen?" Tsunade asked her eyes narrowing.

"If I should lose to the Kyuubi," Naruto replied still not turning to face the older women.

"Naruto, you're being vague, what is Jiraiya's purpose?" Tsunade questioned a little annoyance evident in her voice.

"If I should lose this battle Jiraiya will need to kill me," Naruto stated.

The words echoed inside of Sakura's head.

'Kill him! How could he expect Jiraiya-sama to do that?' she thought.

Tsunade was thinking along the same lines, 'Naruto you know Jiraiya will not be able to do that.'

"Or should I say kill the Kyuubi," Naruto interrupted the two kunoichi's thoughts.

The two stared at him wondering what he meant by the last statement. Naruto continued before either could think of an appropriate question.

"If I lose to the Kyuubi it will be like we switched places," Naruto spoke finally turning to face the two once again.

'Switch places? What does he mean?' Sakura thought.

"My consciousness would be trapped inside the same seal the Kyuubi has been trapped in since the Fourth sealed him within me," Naruto continued seemingly reading Sakura's mind.

"And the Kyuubi?" Tsunade asked her eyes suddenly shrouded by her hair as she looked down at her desk and the forehead protector laying on it.

"It would be free to use my body to destroy everything starting with all I hold precious," Naruto fist clenched as he finished causing his knuckles to turn white.

'All that he hold precious…' Sakura thoughts drifted of as the true gravity of the young shinobi's words hit her.

"Naruto, I understand why you want to leave and why you need Jiraiya's assistance but I don't understand why you need to resign as a shinobi of the Leaf. If anything you should be getting S-rank pay for this mission," Tsunade finished as she reached for the forehead protector on her desk ready to hand it back to the teen.

"Hokage-sama while I appreciate the offer I must resign in case the worst should happen," Naruto answered meeting Tsunade's gaze in an attempt to show her he would not reconsider.

"The worst… You mean Jiraiya-sama killing you," Sakura whispered drawing Naruto's attention.

"No, the worst would be the Kyuubi getting loose, destroying Konoha and killing…" Naruto trailed off once again averting his eyes from her gaze.

"Naruto..?" Sakura whispered to quite for anyone in the room to hear.

"Why does the Kyuubi getting loose require you to resign?" Tsunade interrupted the prolonged silence.

"Do you really want a demon with a Konoha forehead protector running around destroying things?" Naruto asked in the matter of fact way.

"What difference does it make if he starts with us?" Tsunade questioned obviously annoyed at the way Naruto was answering her questions.

"My body cannot take the Kyuubi's full amount of chakra, it will take time for him to gather enough strength to attack Konoha, but his bloodlust is insatiable he will kill all that cross his path. I don't know how long it will take but eventually he will come for you and in the mean time the forehead protector would cause problems with other villages," Naruto finished as he turned to walk out the door.

Sakura wanted to say something, anything that would make him stay. She didn't think she could handle loosing another teammate.

'Last time I had him…' she thought as she watched him exit the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama," he paused in the open doorway, "Please inform Jiraiya that I will be waiting for him. He will know where to find me."

With that the blonde exited the office shutting the door behind him.

"Sakura, what exactly happened?" Tsunade asked the young kunoichi noticing the tears streaming down her face.

"Tsunade-sama, I… He…" Sakura chocked out before sobs overtook her.

Sakura felt her knees give out but Tsunade was there allowing the young women to fall into her embrace.

"Sakura…Shhh, it's alright he'll come back we have to believe in him," she whispered into the teen's hair.

'You better come back brat for all our sakes,' she mused as a single tear ran down her cheek before disappearing into Sakura's pink hair.

'Almost there,' Jiraiya thought as he hopped from branch to branch on his return trip to Konoha.

'Just a few more hours, one mission debriefing with Tsunade, and he could continue his research,' he thought as the mountains which the faces of the Hokages were craved into began to come into view on the horizon.

"I swear every since I met that brat I've had less and less time to do my research for my next book," Jiraiya announced to himself.

'If I don't finish the next book soon Kakashi is going to start showing up during my research again in attempt to steal my notes,' Jiraiya mused.

"He's almost as annoying as Naruto," Jiraiya spoke again as a smile crossed his face.

During Jiraiya's training of Naruto he had grown quite close to the boy his former student doomed to a life of hardship.

'At least you chose the right kid Arashi,' Jiraiya thought.

Jiraiya couldn't believe it had been so long since his training trip with Naruto. But then again the last two years had been full of espionage and battles not much time to stop and enjoy life. He had enjoyed his three year trip with Naruto, more then he would ever admit, the boy made sure there was never a dull moment and the boy was rather enjoyable to talk to when he wasn't ruining Jiraiya's research missions. But looking back on the last five years Jiraiya couldn't help but feel that he hadn't done enough for his young apprentice.

'I wonder what I could have done differently?' Jiraiya questioned himself as the gates of Konoha finally came into view.

Jiraiya quickly slowed his pace and walked casually through the massive wooden gates.

"Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama requested your presence as soon as you returned please make your way to the Hokage tower as quickly as possible," Izumo bowed as he finished.

Jiraiya glanced at Izumo and Kotetsu, before nodding and making his way toward the Hokage tower.

'I don't like this, my mission was not that important, something is wrong,' Jiraiya thought as he quickly made his way through the streets of Konoha.

Stopping at the base of the tower Jiraiya looked up at the windows which he knew lead directly to Tsunade's office.

'Guess I'll take the shortcut,' Jiraiya smirked.

He knew Tsunade hated how he never used the door when he came to see her and every time she would get beaten until he agreed to use the door the next time. But. Jiriaya never did he enjoyed getting Tsunade going more then peaking on the girls at the hot springs.

"Jiraiya get your perverted ass in her now!" Tsunade boomed before he even made it to the window.

'Shit, there is something wrong,' he thought as he stepped through the window into Tsunade's office.

He quickly noticed the smell of sake in the room and also the fact that he and Tsunade where not alone. He shot Tsunade a quizzical look as he glanced at the sleeping kunoichi sitting in one of the more comfortable chairs near the back of the room. She simply motioned him to follow, which he did until she stopped on a balcony over looking the village of Konoha.

"Tsunade why is Sakura sleeping in your office and what is this about?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Jiraiya I need you to do something for me and for Sakura," Tsunade spoke as she met his questioning eyes.

What Jiraiya saw were not the eyes of the Fifth Hokage, but the eyes of a woman who was about to ask a man something that may change his life forever.

"Tsunade…" Jiraiya had never seen her like this, never so vulnerable, never so weak.

"Naruto has lost control over the Kyuubi, and he's leaving the village to battle the fox," Tsunade whispered trying to hide the emotions that were already written all over her face.

"That stupid brat I've told him a thousand times not to use that power!" Jiraiya boomed angrily but Tsunade could see the worry etched across his face.

"Jiraiya, from what Sakura told me Naruto wasn't using the fox's chakra when he lost control," Tsunade responded trying to calm her former teammate.

"Its worse then I thought then," Jiraiya solemnly spoke pausing before continuing, "The seal is breaking. I never foresaw this outcome when Naruto killed Sasuke."

"What does this have to do with the Uchiha?" Tsunade questioned.

"Everything, the seal's strength is connected directly to Naruto's emotional state. Its the one of the reasons Arashi requested the village to treat Naruto as a hero. Though I never realized his current state of depression would weaken the seal this much," Jiraiya responded.

Tsunade and Jiraiya stood there in silence each trying to put into words what was in the forefront of their minds. Finally Jiraiya broke the silence.

"It may be too late Tsunade," Jiraiya spoke his long white hair shrouding his eyes.

"I know… but…I can't…lose him too…" she managed to sob out.

"Where did he go?" he asked his eyes seemingly searching for a different answer in her own tear filled orbs.

Tsunade looked deep into Jiraiya's jet black eyes ready to answer his questions, "He hasn't left yet. He's been waiting for you; he requested that you go with him."

"Where is he Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked.

"He said you would know where he was," Tsunade answered.

Jiraiya thought for a moment before the teen's obvious location entered his mind. He made an attempt to leave but was stopped by a whimper from behind him. He turned to see Tsunade trying to keep her emotions in check.

"J-Jiraiya, the reason why he wants you to go with him…" Tsunade started before her sobs once again made it impossible to speak.

Jiraiya moved across the balcony and wrapped his arms the women.

"Tsunade, its okay I'll help him fight the Kyuubi and I'll bring him back to you," Jiraiya whispered trying to calm her down.

"Jiraiya I can't ask you to do that because your too much like the brat when it comes to promises," Tsunade answered.

"What?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Jiraiya the reason Naruto wants you to accompany him is to kill him if he loses to the Kyuubi," Tsunade whispered.

Jiraiya shook involuntarily, 'The kid wants me to kill him?'

"Tsunade I'm not sure I can do that," Jiraiya whispered an answer.

"Jiraiya you have too you're the only one who can," Tsunade began to cry again soaking the front of Jiraiya's robes.

"Tsunade I…" Jiraiya began before being cut off.

"Jiraiya what ever happens bring him back to us," Tsunade cried.

Jiraiya was completely out of his element, crying women were not his thing, naked women yes, but crying no.

"Ok Tsunade I'll bring him back no matter what happens, I promise," Jiraiya said as he released her from his embrace.

"There you go, just like the brat, making promises you may never be able to keep," Tsunade looked up tears still in her eyes but a small smile gracing her lips.

"Three years with someone and they tend to rub off on you," Jiraiya joked causing Tsunade's grin to widen.

"At least you haven't rubbed off on him," Tsunade stabbed back.

"That's what you think," Jiraiya replied a small grin visible on his face.

"Jiraiya just bring him back, perverted or not I don't care," Tsunade replied with hopeful eyes.

"Were leaving tomorrow morning make sure both you and Sakura are there," Jiraiya stated as he moved toward the edge of the building.

"Why? I don't think he wants us there," Tsunade questioned feeling tears beginning to return to her eyes.

"He needs a reason to return just make sure you two give him one," he answered before disappearing in a puff of smoke leaving Tsunade alone.

Naruto sat on the tope of the Hokage monument looking down on Konoha for perhaps the last time. He could smell the multitudes of foods being prepared by the various vendors and restaurants. His eyes followed the streets till he saw Ino's family's flower shop, continuing he focused his gaze on Ichiraku's ramen stand. The thought of food seemed strangely foreign to him so his gaze continued following the roofs of Konoha's residential district. His eyes scanned over the Hyuuga compound, then the Nara forest. Finally his eyes rested upon a rather normal house that he had never visited but knew exactly where it was.

'Sakura-chan I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for being annoying, I'm sorry for hurting you, and I'm sorry for killing Sasuke. I've taken away so much from you and you have every right to hate me and you probably do, but just once I wish you would have looked at me like you did him,' Naruto thought.

Feeling another presence he wiped away the tears that were gathering in his eyes and turned to face the intruder. Standing on the Third's head was Jiraiya, his eyes looking over Konoha seemingly oblivious to Naruto's presence. Naruto shifted his body so he could see the Sannin's face better.

"Naruto…" Jiraiya's words caused Naruto to freeze.

"Ero-sennin I'm sor…" Naruto began before being cut off.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Jiraiya flashed Naruto a piercing stare.

"I have hurt everyone dear to me, I couldn't protect those precious too me, those I love…" Naruto cried as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"Jiraiya disappeared from Naruto's sight only to reappear right beside the younger man. Naruto watched as Jiraiya's fist screamed toward his jaw. Naruto could have easily dodged the attack but didn't want too. The punch landed hard dislocating Naruto's jaw as he slammed into the mountain face behind him. Naruto pulled himself to his feet expecting Jiraiya's continued assault. His eyes quickly locked onto the Toad Hermit's face, though his eyes were shrouded by his long white hair.

"Why did you stop?" Naruto questioned as he saw the tears begin to roll down Jiraiya's cheeks.

"Because you've been hurt enough," Jiraiya responded.

"I don't want you pity Jiraiya," Naruto stated.

"I know but you have it anyway," Jiraiya cried back.

"Is that why you are coming with me, because you pity me?" Naruto questioned a hint of anger in his voice.

"Naruto do you want to end up like Sasuke?" Jiraiya looked up meeting the teen's gaze.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Naruto yelled his rage beginning to intensify.

"Do you want to be so weak that you would hurt to people who love you just to make your self feel better?" Jiraiya answered, casually falling into a battle stance in case Naruto's temper got the better of him.

"Fuck you old man!" Naruto screamed as he launched himself at Jiraiya.

"Your temper always was your biggest weakness Naruto," Jiraiya claimed as he blocked a kick aimed for his jaw.

Naruto was done talking he threw punch after punch trying to land a crippling blow on the older man. Jiraiya simply dodged or blocked Naruto's wild attacks. Finally seeing an opening in Naruto's attacks Jiraiya launched an attack of his own, a sweeping low kick took Naruto clean off his feet. Landing on his back Naruto quickly tried to recover but found Jiraiya was too fast. Jiraiya's foot clamped down on Naruto's throat as he pivoted grabbing Naruto's right arm and locking his elbow. Naruto desperately tried to get out of the lock but found the older man's strength impressive.

"Are you ready to answer my questions yet?" Jiraiya huffed.

"Fuck you… AH!" Naruto replied as Jiraiya pulled his arm back causing Naruto's elbow to bend the wrong direction as well as cutting off his air supply.

"I guess that's a no," Jiraiya stated.

"Fine I'll answer just let me up!" Naruto wheezed.

Jiraiya nodded releasing his hold on Naruto's arm allowing the teen to stand. Naruto rose slowly trying to keep his rage in check. He could feel the demon chakra beginning to fill his body and he had to suppress his rage. He brought his left hand to his throat feeling the soar spot where Jiraiya's foot had just been. Finally he gazed toward Jiraiya who was watching him carefully.

"Do you want to end up like Sasuke?" Jiraiya asked again.

"What do you mean? I would never hurt any of the people who are precious to me you know that!" Naruto questioned.

"What do you think you are doing right now?" Jiraiya questioned locking his eyes onto Naruto's.

"I'm leaving aren't I?!" Naruto screamed as a single drop of rain hit the stone beneath his feet.

"Why are you leaving?" Jiraiya continued his questions.

"Because I can't control the demon inside me and I don't want him to destroy everything!" Naruto screamed back as the rain intensified.

"Is that the only reason?" Jiraiya asked a sudden look of worry crossing his features.

"Of course it is! Do you really think I want to leave?" Naruto shouted back his own question.

Silence fell on the two men as the storm ravaged the sky overhead. Jiraiya studied the teen who's fierce blue eyes were still locked onto him. Jiraiya continued to stare at the young man who sighed and turned to leave. Jiraiya hung his head causing his soaked hair to veil his eyes. He watched the teen begin to move away before speaking a single word to answer Naruto's question.

"Yes."

Naruto froze at the sound of Jiraiya's answer his own mind working furiously to overcome the doubt Jiraiya had seeded in his mind.

'I don't want to leave, do I?' Naruto asked himself.

Jiraiya interrupted Naruto's thoughts, "Your running away Naruto. Just like Sasuke did all those years ago. You've resigned yourself to death."

Naruto stood in silence, his back turned to his sensei in order to not reveal the conflict raging in his own mind.

"You don't believe you can defeat the Kyuubi do you Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

Silence followed the Sannin's words, minutes pasted as the rain continued it's assault on the two men.

"No, I can't defeat the fox," Naruto solemnly replied finally breaking the silence as a lighting bolt danced across the night sky.

"Naruto how far you have fallen," Jiraiya whispered to himself the thunder drowning out his words.

"If I must die in order to save this village I gladly will," Naruto said moving to leave again.

"By giving up?!" Jiraiya screamed over the storm.

"It's hopeless Jiraiya, I will die on this trip I just need to get as far away as possible before we end it," Naruto coldly answered.

Gathering chakra into his legs Naruto was ready to jump away when a hand grasped his shoulder.

"If you die fighting the Kyuubi, I will kill you or die trying but you will fight him. I will not allow you to give up Naruto," Jiraiya whispered.

"I…I don't want to die Ero-Sennin, it's just… it's just I can't allow the fox to kill them," Naruto whispered back.

"The fight him Naruto, fight him knowing you are protecting the people who love you," Jiraiya answered the teen.

"But I killed Sasuke and hurt Sakura-chan, how can they, how can you trust me enough to fight him when he could escape during the battle?" Naruto asked his tears unrecognizable due to the rain.

"Because you are Naruto Uzumaki, shinobi of the Leaf, future Hokage of the Leaf, and the son of the Fourth Hokage," Jiraiya answered finally revealing a truth Naruto should have been told long ago.

Naruto's eyes shot open, Jiraiya's word registering in his brain. He wouldn't have believed it if it didn't feel so true. Every ounce of his body told him it was true.

'Son of the Fourth Hokage,' Naruto thought to himself.

"And more important than any of that, because I love you like you were my own son," Jiraiya's interruption caused Naruto's mind to go into overload.

"Jiraiya… I…" Naruto tried to choke out through the sobs that were racking his body.

"Naruto I know your afraid but I swear I'll either bring you back or follow in your fate," Jiraiya silence the teen.

"Besides I promised Tsunade and she'll kill me if I don't bring you back anyway," Jiraiya chuckled.

"Ero-Sennin you really suck at trying to cheer me up," Naruto replied turning to face the man a small grin visible on his face.

Jiraiya also notice the flash of determination that was once again evident in Naruto's eyes.

'Those are how his eyes are supposed to look,' Jiraiya noted.

"See you tomorrow Naruto at the Western Gate," Jiraiya stepped back and made a single hand seal before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto smiled at the disappearing smoke, while Jiraiya's words once again ran threw him mind.

"Wait! I'm the Fourth's son!?" Naruto screamed out just as a clap of thunder reverberated over the streets of Konoha.

Haruno Sakura made her way back toward her house not bothering to attempt to hurry to get out of the rain that had just started falling. She was exhausted and the rain seemed to echo her mood.

'I can't believe he is leaving,' she said to herself.

'**He's doing this for all of Konoha and especially for us**," Inner Sakura announced.

'I know but he may never come back, when he left last time I knew he would come back,' Sakura replied.

'**So what's different this time?**' Inner Sakura questioned.

'He promised me he would come back last time, if he thought he was coming back he would have promised me," Sakura thought fresh tears making their way down her cheeks.

'**Remember what Tsunade-sama told us, he needs a reason to come back,**' Inner Sakura responded.

'A reason…' Sakura thought to herself.

Sakura looked up for the first time on her journey home and realized she was almost to her home. Tsunade's words continued to echo in her head.

'A reason… what reason could I possibly give him? He's not the same Naruto he's so different now,' Sakura continued to rack her mind straining to think of anything she could say or do to make Naruto promise to come back.

Suddenly an idea flashed into Sakura's mind.

'It's perfect…words can be forgotten…actions misinterpreted…but a gift could not be forgotten when it was right there in front of you eyes and this gift could not be misinterpreted,' Sakura mused to herself as she sprinted the last couple hundred yards to her door and rushed up the stairs to her room.

The sun began to creep over the forests of Konoha as Naruto Uzumaki stared at the ceiling of his apartment. Sleep had eluded him for most of the night and he had resigned himself to wait for morning. Pulling himself out of his bed Naruto looked at his supplies he had prepared the night before. Picking up his backpack Naruto made his way through his apartment taking in every last detail of the only place he had ever called home.

'It's not much but it's still home,' Naruto sighed as he stepped out of his front door.

Naruto glanced once again over the rooftops of Konoha noticing how the sun drenched roofs gave him a completely different perspective then the storm battered ones from the night before. The puddles in the streets were the only evidence the storm had ever taken place.

"Well lets get this over with," Naruto sighed as he began his journey to the Western Gate.

Upon arriving at the gate Naruto noticed that Jiraiya was no where to be seen. Making himself as comfortable as possible he closed his eyes and waited.

"Hey brat wake up!" Jiraiya announced his arrival.

"God did Ero-Sennin did you turn into Kakashi while you were sleeping you're an hour late," Naruto replied not bothering to open his eyes.

"Well you see I had to make check on some things before we left," Jiraiya snickered.

"Never mind you really are the one and only Ero-sennin," Naruto spoke as a slight grin appeared on his face.

"Jiraiya that's enough!" a female voice boomed.

Naruto's eyes shot open revealing Jiraiya, Sakura, and an agrivated Tsunade. Naruto's grin disappeared as he shot Jiraiya a glare. Jiraiya noticed and merely shrugged. Naruto rose from his seated position and turned to leave when two powerful yet slender arms wrapped around him.

"Listen brat don't think you just get to walk out of here without saying goodbye," Tsunade whispered into his back.

"Baa-chan…I can't promise you I'll come back I can promise you the fox will not be," Naruto whispered as he turned to face the older women.

"Naruto…" Tsunade whispered as she hugged him tightly.

"Baa-chan…I…can't…breathe…" Naruto wheezed.

"Shut up brat," Tsunade said as she released the teen.

"Jiraiya I need to speak with you for a second," Tsunade announced as she pulled her fellow Sannin aside.

"Naruto…I have something for you," Sakura whispered as she moved closer to the young man.

"Sakura-chan you didn't need to get me anything…" Naruto stated.

"Yes, I did," Sakura quickly responded as she handed Naruto a small black wooden box.

"Don't open it now Naruto, don't want you to open it until you get ready for your final battle with they Kyuubi," Sakura whispered her eyes veiled by her pink hair.

"Sakura-chan I have something for you too," Naruto began as he searched through his backpack.

Naruto quickly found what he was looking for a presented Sakura with a small scroll.

"It's a letter, I was going to send it after I left but since your already here…" Naruto began as Sakura moved to open the scroll.

"Don't open it yet Sakura, I don't want to be here when you do, please wait till I leave," Naruto said as he placed his index finger below Sakura's chin and moved her face until she looked directly into his eyes.

"Naruto…I…" Sakura began before being cut off.

"Naruto let's get going!" Jiraiya yelled.

"Ok, I'm coming!" Naruto yelled back as he quickly turned to follow the Sannin out of the gate.

Sakura watched with tear filled eyes as Naruto and Jiraiya vanished into the trees on the other side of the gate. She stood there just looking out on the vast forest for several minutes until Tsunade wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"What did he give you Sakura?" Tsunade questioned.

"A letter…" Sakura trailed off as Tsunade released her hold on the girl deciding to allow Sakura to read the letter in private.

Sakura broke the seal on the letter and opened it.

_Dear Sakura-chan,_

_I'm not sure if you remember this but the day we where assigned teams as Genin, I asked you if you would like to go eat with me. You of course answered no. I was young and stupid and decided to take matters into my own hands so I tracked down Sasuke and attacked him. I tied him up and used a henge to transform into him. What I'm trying to say Sakura-chan is it was me you almost kissed that day on the bench. I know your probably angry at me right now but I just thought you should know that that day I discovered something I wanted more then being Hokage. _

_I wanted just once for you to look at me the way you looked at him. I realized that day that I loved you and I always would love you. I know you don't feel the same way Sakura-chan but my in my current situation I felt you needed to know. _

_I'm sorry for everything,_

_Naruto Uzumaki_

Sakura looked up from the letter as tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly rolled the scroll up and stuffed it into her pocket.

She took one last glance out the gate before turning and back toward her house.

"Naruto you better come back." Tsunade whispered as she watched her apprentice turn and leave, "You better come back."

A/N: Whew, another chapter done. Anyway as far as the pairings go I have some ideas for a few people but the vote is on so if you like a particular couple then vote for them. Once again keep the ages some what close (That means no teacher x student). Also no yaoi I'm not against it, just not fan. Anyway the next chapter will either be set during the time skip or after it depending on what people want and what I decide. Thanks for reading please Review.


	4. Chapter 4: Returned a Changed Man

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews I received. I really appreciate them all they are very helpful especially the suggestions. I've loosely decided on the majority of the pairings in this story. They will become much more evident as the story progresses, while some will become evident in this chapter.

I got my first request for a lemon. I don't know yet if their will be one in this story, there will be romance and the like but sometimes lemons can ruin stories if not well written and timed appropriately and since I've never written one that is undecided.

Most of the rookie eight along with Gai's team will make an appearance or at least be spoken of in this chapter.

Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy chapter 4.

A big Thanks to Backyard for beta reading this chapter and giving me some good ideas.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura/Kyuubi **

**Chapter 4: Returned a Changed Man**

"Almost there," Sakura panted as she leaped from branch to branch.

The night sky was sparkling with the thousands of stars now visible because of the distance from Konoha. The full moon lit up the forest around her as she pushed herself to the limit. The shadows created by the moon light seemed to move as she sprinted past them.

She dropped down into a clearing surrounded by immense maple trees. She glances around the clearing searching for the chakra disturbances that had interrupted her walk home from the hospital.

'Where is he?' she thought as her hands instinctively moved to her kunai holster.

"Sakura-chan? You came," the voice from behind her made Sakura's heart skip a beat.

She turned to face the direction of the sound in time to see a young man clad in orange and black appear from the surrounding trees. His eyes shrouded by the shadows caused by the moon light and his long golden hair.

"Naruto…" Sakura trailed off tears of joy coming to her eyes.

"Not exactly" he spoke as he lifted his head giving her a better look at his face.

She recoiled in fear as she stared into his crimson eyes. They seemingly glowed like hot embers in the darkness sending shivers up and down her spine. He smiled revealing his elongated canines when he saw her shrink back in fear. He was at her side in an instant. She tried to back away, to run, to do anything, but his right arm snaked around her waist pulling her closer to him. With his left index finger he tilted her face up to his so he could gaze into her emerald eyes.

"Naruto…" she whispered as she tried to turn away.

He ran a long claw across her cheek bringing her attention back to him. Suddenly his mouth crashed into hers. Her eyes shot open wide in surprise locking onto his demonic eyes. He deepened the kiss as he brought his right hand around till it rested on her collar bone. He broke the kiss as his hand continued to trace along her collar bone with one clawed index finger sending shivers up and down her spine.

"Naruto…" Sakura began before being cut off.

"I told you I'm not Naruto," the man before her responded as a sick grin crossed his face.

His finger stopped at her jaw line. She shot him a questioning glance that only made his grin widen. She watched in horror as his muscles in his right arm tensed as his fingers wrapped around her neck.

"Naruto… Stop… Please…!" Sakura wheezed as the man used a single arm to lift her into the air.

She felt powerless against the killer intent radiating from the demon possessed teen. Tears fell from her eyes as she continued to stare into those hideous crimson orbs hoping that any second they would revert to their deep blue.

She felt the sickening crack as her vertebrae began to crush beneath the pressure of the man's grip. She felt the darkness begin to overtake her she watched again in horror as the man's eyes flashed blue as a single tear rolled down the demon's cheek.

'Naruto I'm sorry I couldn't save you,' Sakura thought as her eyelids fluttered and darkness over took her.

Sakura awoke in a cold sweet. Her hands moved to her throat she could almost feel Naruto's hand still squeezing the life out of her. She felt the tears trace their familiar lines down her cheeks.

'Sakura breathe it was just a dream,' she told herself attempting to calm down.

'**Yeah one you've been having an awful lot lately**,' Inner Sakura announced.

'Not helping,' Sakura retorted.

Silencing her inner self Sakura glanced at the alarm clock that provided the only illumination in her bedroom.

'Quarter to six,' Sakura sighed as she laid herself back down into her pillows.

The sound of running water announced that the apartment's other occupant was already awake too.

'**Figures she's up**,' Inner Sakura spoke up again the annoyance obvious in her voice.

'Today is the Spring Festival, she just wants to look nice,' Sakura responded defensively.

Again satisfied that she had shut her inner self up Sakura threw off the covers and moved her still groggy legs to allow her to get out of her bed. Turning the light on as she moved across the room to her vanity. Noticing the redness from crying in her eyes she quickly pulled her short pink hair up into a pony tail and tried to rub the redness out of her eyes. It didn't work but it made her feel like better. Noticing the water had turned off she heard footsteps moving down the hall. The door to her bedroom flew open as a still half asleep looking Ino.

"Hey Fore-head you awake yet!" the blonde half-screamed.

"The light is on isn't Pig?" Sakura retorted.

Ino have Sakura an icy glance before she noticed the red puffy eyes.

"Sakura… You had another nightmare?" Ino asked even though she knew the answer.

"Yeah… Do you know what today is Ino?" Sakura asked as her face fell to the floor it was all she could do not to break down again.

"Um... The Spring Festival?" Ino answered.

"It has been three years Ino, to the day since…" Sakura trailed off as the tears in her eyes threatened to overflow onto her cheeks.

"Still no news, huh?" Ino sighed as she sunk onto Sakura's bed.

"No," was all Sakura could say.

"You know Sakura; in this case no news is good news." Ino tried her best to comfort her best friend.

"I know Ino it's just I can't believe I failed both of them. Even after all these years I can't believe I failed them. Some teammate I am," Sakura replied.

"Sakura there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent what happened to Sasuke. He chose his own path in life and he paid for his choices in the end. And as for Naruto everyone feels the same way you do, how many times do you think I've thought if only I had been a little nicer to him back in the Academy or made an effort to get to know him when we where genin," Ino's words echoed inside of Sakura's mind.

The words helped a little, knowing that everyone felt in some way responsible for the blonde's plight was refreshing. But the pain was different for Sakura and Ino knew that. Ino never wanted to think about what would have happened if it would have been Shikamaru or Chouji instead of Naruto.

Ino remembered when she had found Sakura crying on a park bench about fourteen months prior. She had been looking for an apartment primarily because her father wouldn't let her stay out past midnight even though she was eighteen and a jounin level ninja. Sakura seemed so alone and it was then that Ino made a decision to ask Sakura to move in with her. Sakura at first had resisted saying she was fine living at home with her parents but Ino's constant pestering eventually caused her to cave in.

Ino smiled remembering the first couple months the two had lived together, it had been hard. They seemed to butt heads on everything and quite a few times one of them would end up sleeping at the hospital or at their parents' houses because of an argument. But they had learned to live together and Ino wouldn't change anything about their relationship. It was stronger then ever partly due to Sakura's need for a friend and the fact they both worked in the hospital as medics.

"Where do you think he is right now Ino?" Sakura's questioned interrupted Ino's thoughts.

"Hmm... Oh I don't know," Ino started but when she saw Sakura's expression fall she thought quickly, "Now that I think about it, knowing Jiraiya-sama, probably pulling the legendary "Ero-sennin" out of some brothel."

Ino's use of Naruto's nickname for the older ninja made Sakura grin and that seemed to be all Ino needed to change the subject.

"Now come on Fore-head you need to get ready for the festival you don't want to be looking like that with all the hot guys around," Ino announced as she pulled Sakura toward the bathroom.

Ino practically shoved Sakura into the bathroom and turned to leave.

"Hey Ino-pig. You better look your best today I hear the Gaara, Temari and Kankurou are going to be here for the festival as special guests," Sakura announced making Ino freeze in her tracks.

"So what's your point?" Ino questioned as she shot Sakura a glance.

"Oh no reason just thought you should know so you can look your best," Sakura giggled as she shut the door before Ino could respond.

Several miles outside of Konoha a three man ANBU squad was on patrol. Moving from tree to tree the three members of the squad moved at lightning speed trying to reach the last of their checkpoints before returning to Konoha.

"This is complete bullshit!" the ANBU wearing a dog mask shouted.

"Orders are orders," the second member wearing a bear mask responded.

"I know but its fucking six o'clock in the morning and the festival is today," the one with the dog mask retorted.

"Silence, something isn't right," the squad leader wearing a hawk mask silenced the two others.

"Sir I found something," the ANBU wearing the dog mask called out as the other two dropped from the trees above.

"What is it?" the one with the bear mask asked.

"A scent trail," the ANBU replied.

"Could it be from one of the other patrols?" the leader questioned.

"No it smells like conifer trees there aren't any conifers in this region of the fire country. They only are found in the north and we're too far away from the main road for it to be from a trade caravan," the dog masked man replied.

"Can you track it?" the ANBU in the bear mask asked?

"Yeah, but shouldn't we report this?" the man in the dog mask looked toward his squad leader.

"We need to look into the situation first if it is something we cannot handle then we will return for back up," the leader announced as he fell in to formation behind the ANBU in the dog mask as the three members moved quickly away.

"The scent is getting stronger any sign of the intruders yet?" the dog masked ANBU asked turning his head slightly to look at his squad leader behind him.

"Nothing yet…Wait there is something up ahead lets speed up the pace," the leader responded as he added more chakra to his legs propelling himself faster through the trees.

The three men moved quickly keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of an ambush. They were now outside of their designated patrol area and were moving further away from Konoha by the second. Suddenly the leader threw his hand up signaling the other two to pause.

"What is it?" the bear masked ANBU asked.

"We probably should return to Konoha whatever we are tracking seems to be moving away," the ANBU in the dog mask spoke up.

"Quite," the leader whispered.

Suddenly a chakra signature spiked and as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared again. The man in the dog mask glanced back at the squad leader.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know but we're going to find out," the hawk masked ANBU responded as they once again sped off through the forest.

The three ANBU stopped again at the edge of a clearing and waited they knew someone or something was there but where they could not yet determine. The clearing was about a hundred yards across with a large oak tree growing in the center of it. The ANBU were careful not to give away their presence until they were completely sure it was empty. They soon realized they were not alone as the clearing was strewn with dead bodies. The three ANBU immediately descended to investigate.

"They appear to be ninja from the Hidden Cloud," the dog-masked man announced.

"Why would Hidden Cloud ninja be this close to Konoha?" the bear-masked man asked.

"They are the source of the scent trail we picked up," the ANBU in the dog mask offered as he looked toward his squad leader.

"Hmm perhaps they were spies and were discovered by one of the other patrols?" the leader in the hawk mask asked.

"We would have been informed of that and these ninja have only been dead for a few minutes there are no other patrols in this sector," the ANBU in the bear mask answered.

"I believe I may be able to answer your questions," the voice resonated from the opposite tree line.

Suddenly a large man with long hair broke out of the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing. He moved quickly toward the middle of the clearing where the ANBU were standing. The ANBU squad leader gave the signal and the man was surrounded in a flash.

"State your name and purpose," the ANBU in the hawk masked demanded.

"Wow I didn't think the Konoha ANBU would be out this far," the man answered as he turned away seemingly looking for something in the tree line behind him.

"Hey old man we're talking to you," the dog masked ANBU spoke up.

"What? Oh sorry I didn't mean to ignore you," the man responded still not taking his eyes off the surrounding tree line.

The older man felt the younger men tense as a soft rustle was heard from behind them all. Suddenly a large animal burst from the tree line behind them but was quickly stopped by a single kunai impacting the ground in front of the beast.

"Akamaru I thought I told you to hold back," the man with the dog mask questioned the large dog not realizing why his pet had stopped.

The large white dog let out a small whine that the man seemed to understand as he tensed slightly. This hands quickly moving toward his kunai holster on his thigh.

"You should know better then to try and hide from the Konoha ANBU!" the dog masked ANBU screamed as he flung a single kunai toward the lowest limb of the oak tree.

The sound of metal striking metal was heard as the kunai fell harmlessly to the ground. It was then that the older man turned around and the three ANBU actually got a good look at his face.

"J-Jiraiya-sama… But that means that…" the man wearing the hawk masked stammered out.

"You know dog breath you really should be more careful where you throw those things," the deep voice echoed from the tree limb gaining everyone's attention.

"N-Naruto…" the ANBU wearing the dog mask quickly removed his mask revealing the twin red triangles adorning his cheeks and his wild brown hair.

"Wow you actually got smarter while I was gone," the voice responded.

"Hokage-sama will want to be notified immediately of this development," the leader announced to Jiraiya.

"Good to know that you two haven't changed as much as dog breath, Neji, Shino," the voice interrupted as the two other men removed their masks.

"Why don't you come down here and try saying that!" Kiba screamed.

"Ok," the voice replied from behind the young ANBU.

The three ANBU could only look on in shock at the pure speed just displayed by their long time friend. Jiraiya on the other hand could only smile at the reunion. Naruto wasn't fast enough however to avoid the large ball of fur that had just tackled him from behind.

On top of the former shinobi sat Akamaru his tail wagging as he proceeded to assault Naruto's face with his tongue. The blonde man struggled against the weight of the large animal before finally giving up and resigning himself to the tongue bath.

"Hey dog breath get your puppy off me!" Naruto yelled as Kiba and Jiraiya broke into laughter while Neji and Shino just grinned.

It wasn't till Kiba pulled Akamaru off the former shinobi and he had returned to his standing position that the three teammates realized his change in appearance. Gone was the orange jumpsuit they had always associated with Naruto it had been replaced with a pair of black shinobi pants and sandals. The junction between his pants and sandals were covered in black training wraps much like the normal white ones normal jounin wore. The jacket was also gone instead just a simple close fitting black t-shirt covered the young man's upper body. His left hand was covered by a black fingerless shinobi glove and his forearm wrapped in the same black training wraps that were wrapped around his ankles. Strapped to his back was a single katana its handle was the only part visible because the sheath was covered by the cape that hung from his shoulders. The cape was a dark crimson color and fell over his right shoulder hiding his right arm from view. The cape's cowl covered most of the young man's face as well; it reminded the three ANBU of the way Shino's jacket had hid his face when they were genin. The biggest change however was his hair it seemed to have grown considerably wilder and slightly longer and without his forehead protector to hold it up his eyes where shrouded by his golden locks.

"Wow, Naruto you've changed," Kiba commented earning nods from his two stoic companions.

The young man quickly turned his back on the three ANBU and began moving toward the opposite side of the clearing.

"Let's go Ero-sennin I want to make it to Konoha before sunrise," his cold voice shocked the three men standing between him and the Sannin.

And with that Naruto was gone again. Jiraiya sighed as he moved to follow the younger man. He paused as he passed the three stunned ninja.

"You're right Inuzuka Kiba he has changed just not for the better I fear," and with that Jiraiya followed Naruto into the tree line on the other side of the clearing.

"What the fuck did I say?" Kiba asked as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Perhaps Naruto is not content with the fact he has changed so much," Shino offered.

"It doesn't matter he has been there to help all of us before and we are going to be there for him now," Neji commanded.

"Your damn right we are!" Kiba yelled getting an accompanying bark from Akamaru.

"We should finish this patrol quickly," Shino announced as he fastened his bear mask back on.

"Agreed there are a few people who will want to know of these developments back in Konoha," Neji commented as he and Kiba fastened their masks back on.

"Sakura come on where going to be late it's almost ten!" Ino called from their apartment's door way.

"Really Ino I didn't think you be in such a hurry to see Kankurou, I thought it was just one date," Sakura teased as she exited her bedroom.

"Look Fore-head it was just one date and I swear if you say one thing about it I'll tell everyone about that night you got drunk with Tsunade-sama," Ino threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Sakura retorted.

"Try my Fore-head," Ino smirked.

"Fine," Sakura sighed.

"And besides I only went on that date to keep an eye on Shikamaru, who knows what that sand whore would have tried if I wasn't there," Ino admitted.

"I don't think Temari is a whore Ino," Sakura commented.

"I know she's not, but it would make it a whole lot easier if she was," Ino sighed.

"Come on Ino lets go we really are going to be late if we keep this up," Sakura giggled as she and Ino left their apartment.

Walking quickly down the street the two young women couldn't help but smile at the looks they were being given from the male portion of the populous. It was no secret that Ino and Sakura were the two most sot after young women in all of Konoha. Ino seemed to relish in the fact but Sakura could have cared less. On the bright side, it did help them get the occasional date but neither seemed capable of staying in a relationship for too long.

'I guess we do look pretty good today,' Sakura commented to herself as she watched herself and Ino walk past a glass store window.

'**Yeah I guess Piggy does look pretty good in that purple kimono,**' Inner Sakura added.

'Yeah the purple is nice but I still like the red one we got is better,' Sakura replied.

'**Well obviously I picked it out, it's just too bad he isn't here to see it,**' Inner Sakura mumbled the last part to her self.

'What I didn't catch all of that?' Sakura questioned.

'**Oh nothing,**' Inner Sakura answered.

The pair turned onto the road that would lead them to downtown Konoha where the festival was taking place but suddenly they were stopped by Kotetsu.

"Ah ladies I was hoping to reach you before you made it to the festival it would have been extremely difficult to find you once you were in the crowd," Kotetsu stated.

"What do you want Kotetsu-san?" Ino questioned.

"Ah right Hokage-sama request your presence at the hospital immediately," Kotetsu finished as he teleported away.

"I swear I think she enjoys robbing us of our fun," Ino sighed.

"What could be so important that she would need to call us in on a holiday?" Sakura questioned.

Just then Hinata turned to corner nearly bumping into the two women. She was dressed in a dark blue kimono that seemed to exactly match her hair and several lavender flowers were stitched up the side of the kimono.

"Hey Hinata you look great," Sakura commented.

"Hey Sakura, Ino, you guys look great too, sorry but Hokage-sama just requested my presence at the hospital," Hinata spoke as she walked past the two women.

"Hey Hinata we're going to the hospital too," Ino stated.

"Really I wonder what could be so important that she would need all of us," Hinata asked.

The other two women just shrugged their shoulders before following closely behind Hinata as they made their way to the opposite side of Konoha. Upon arriving at the hospital the three kunoichi were almost run over by Shizune who looked quite shaken.

"Shizune what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Oh nothing really Tsunade-sama requested that you change out of your kimonos you are needed for a physical exam," Shizune answered before disappearing out the front doors.

"A physical exam, does she really need all three of us here to do that?" Ino questioned.

"Well if all three of us are here that means either the subject is wounded considerably or being reinstated to active duty," Sakura answered.

"A reinstatement exam could have waited for tomorrow," Hinata stated.

"I agree so I take it someone is severely injured," Sakura commented.

"Well whoever it is they better be inches away from death because this is going to ruin my day," Ino joked.

"Yeah not to mention Kankurou's night," Sakura joked as she exited the lobby through the double doors leading to the locker room.

"What did you just say?!" Ino boomed as she lunged after her roommate.

Hinata could do nothing but laugh as she followed the two through the double doors to get changed.

The three had soon changed back into their normal clothes and moved slowly down the hall toward the exam rooms. They turned the corner to see that the hallway for the most part was dark except for the red light above exam room one indicating it was in use. The three entered the room slowly preparing themselves for the possibility of blood and mangled flesh that could appear on the other side of the door.

What they found however was an empty room. Ino quickly turned to exit the door.

"I swear I'm going to kill Kotetsu and Shizune the next time I see them," Ino yelled as she began to turn the knob.

"I really can't believe we fell for this," Sakura sighed as she moved to follow.

"Do you guys really think this is a practical joke?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course Tsunade-sama never misses a good party we should have known better," Sakura replied.

"Yeah I guess your right," Hinata sighed as she moved to follow the other two kunoichi out the door.

Suddenly the door burst open sending Ino, Sakura, and Hinata scurrying out of the way. In walked the legendary sucker, Tsunade grinning to herself.

'She seems a lot happier then usual, I bet she's drunk," Ino thought to herself.

"Tsunade-sama is this some kind of joke?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah I mean it's not very funny to have all three of us miss the festival because of some joke you and Shizune put together," Ino added.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow wondering what the two women were talking about. But realizing she would probably be saying the same things if she hadn't called them all here. She decided not to tell them though their reactions would be well worth the scolding she would take from the three later.

"You three are here to perform a reinstatement examination," Tsunade stated calmly.

"A reinstatement examination are you kidding me that could have waited till tomorrow!"  
Ino yelled.

Sakura and Hinata just nodded along with their friend hoping Tsunade would see the error of her ways and reschedule the exam for tomorrow.

"Well you see Ino I need all three of you here for this one and I happen to believe this takes priority over the festival," Tsunade answered.

"But…" Ino started.

"No buts, you all have special talents that are needed for this subject. Sakura you will be doing the physical exam making sure the patient is fit for duty. Ino I want you to do a mental exam making sure not psychological damage has occurred. And Hinata you will be doing a chakra coil examination to make sure the patient does not have any damage to his chakra coils or his tenketsu," Tsunade finished as she moved toward the back of the room careful not to move too far so she would still be able to see the girls' reactions.

"You can come in now we are ready for you," Tsunade called.

The door's knob turned as the three young women on the other side waited for the arrival of their patient.

'Who could be so important that they would take priority over the festival?' Ino was asking herself.

'I swear if this is the Daimyo's son or something I'm going to have a talk with Tsunade-sama,' Sakura thought to herself.

The door opened slowly revealing a young man clad in black and crimson with golden hair. Tsunade was grinning to herself as she looked over the faces of the three girls standing in front of her. Sakura looked like she was about to cry, while Hinata was about to faint, Ino was possible the funniest though she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Naruto…?" Sakura managed to chock out.

Naruto simply nodded as he looked over the girls before him. He was in awe of them; they were for the most part exactly as he remember them and that was more then he could say about himself. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him.

'I never should have come back here, I don't deserve their compassion or their love,' Naruto thought to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted as a pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist and a female body crashed into his.

'Sakura-chan,' Naruto thought as his eyes focused on the mass of pink hair that was smashed into his chest.

He made no move to return the hug after all he was destined to be alone, but instead looked around the room searching for some kind of answer from the other women. Tsunade was simply grinning as she leaned up against the furthest wall. Hinata and Ino were flat out smiling at the two before them.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry," Naruto whispered as he moved to break the hug.

Ino winced at Naruto's words as she watched Sakura's fist collide with Naruto's face. The impact sending Naruto back through the open doorway and careening out into the hallway.

"Baka," Sakura whispered before gathering herself.

"You know you should really watch that monstrous strength of yours Sakura-chan," Naruto whined as he stepped back through the door rubbing the bump on his head.

A cough from Tsunade seemed to remind everyone why they were there and they all snapped to attention.

"Now that I have everyone's attention this is the reinstatement exam for one Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura will be giving the physical exam, Yamanaka Ino will be giving the psychological exam, and Hyuuga Hinata will be giving the chakra exam," Tsunade finished a sly grin crossing her face.

Naruto had resigned himself to lean against the door way while Tsunade handed several papers to each of the girls.

'Well this is completely boring; I wonder what Ero-Sennin is up too.' Naruto thought.

The sudden realization that his mentor was probably already at the hot springs sent a wave of anger through Naruto.

'He could have at least stayed a made sure I was reinstated. He can explain what happened out there a lot better then I can,' Naruto mused.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.

"What?!" Naruto questioned.

"Tsunade-sama has been talking to you for a couple minutes now," Sakura informed.

Naruto gazed over seeing a rather aggravated Tsunade mumbling something about killing someone for making Naruto even less respectful.

"What do you need Baa-chan?" Naruto questioned.

"Huh? Oh, strip," Tsunade answered.

"What?!" Naruto replied trying to control the blush that had certainly crossed his face.

"You heard me and besides they are all medics they have seen everything you've got before," Tsunade demanded.

"All the way?" Naruto questioned.

Two swift punches to the back of the head were Naruto's answer as Ino and Sakura both seemed to answer his question. Hinata just laughed at her three friends antics. Tsunade just grinned.

"No baka just down to your underwear we just need to do an exam," Sakura informed Naruto while he was still trying to recover from her and Ino's assault.

The shock of seeing Naruto again must have just worn off, because all three of the young kunoichi seemed to notice Naruto's change in appearance.

'Wow he looks a lot better with out the orange,' Ino was thinking to herself.

'When did he change his clothes?' Sakura wondered while giving Naruto a once over with her eyes, 'And what's with the cape?'

'When did he get a sword?' Hinata wondered.

The four women watched as Naruto began to unbuckle the crimson cape that had been draped around him. He carefully slide the cape off and began to fold it not really paying attention to the gazes he was receiving from two of the women in the room.

'Holy shit! What in the hell has he been doing for three years?' Ino almost shouted as her eyes traced Naruto's muscular forearms and biceps.

Naruto quickly finished folding the cape and placed it on the examination table. He turned and for the first time revealed his right arm to the women in the room.

'Wait is that…' Ino thought quickly shooting Sakura a gaze.

Sakura seemed to understand what Ino was asking and gave a small nod before looking away.

'So that's what she did with it. I was wondering why I never saw her wear it anymore when we went out,' Ino concluded as she returned her eyes to Naruto just in time to see him pull off his black t-shirt.

"Naruto what is that ribbon on you right arm?" Hinata asked seeming oblivious to the fact that her childhood crush was half naked in front of her.

"Oh well umm…" Naruto started as his eyes fell on the crimson ribbon that was tied around his right bicep.

"It was a gift I gave him before he went on his journey," Sakura answered Hinata's question before turning to Ino, "Ino, I'm sorry I should have asked you first."

"It's ok Fore-head I just hope he knows what it means," Ino stated.

"I know," Naruto cut in not removing his eyes from the ribbon.

Naruto kicked off his ninja sandals and pulled his pants and training bands around his ankles off before any more could be said. Then he straitened up seemingly done with his undressing.

"Naruto your forearm wraps will need to come off too," Tsunade said.

Naruto gave her a look of pure desperation. He knew the questions that would arise should he remove his bindings and he wasn't sure he wanted to answer any of them. Tsunade, however, didn't seem to notice and merely stared at him.

"Well?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto eyes fell to the ground seemingly searching for a crack he could somehow fit through. Seeing no other way out of the situation Naruto slowly began unwrapping the black wraps that hid his forearms. Slowly the black fabric fell away revealing the seals Naruto had tried so hard to hide.

"What are those?" Ino questioned.

"There seals of some kind," Hinata answered not removing her eyes from the black flames that seemingly wrapped their way around Naruto's forearms.

Sakura looked like she had just seen a ghost. She had seen those seals before, almost eight years ago actually, on her other teammate.

"Naruto is that the cursed seal?" Sakura almost whispered but everyone in the room heard it.

"No, its worse then that," Naruto replied as he finished removing the wraps revealing the source of the flame tattoos.

Nine kanji for dragon encircled each of his wrists with a single black flame spawning from each one. The flames intertwined and encircled his forearms before stopping just below his elbow.

"These seals can be explained at a later time and by Naruto's discretion. Sakura if you would begin the physical exam," Tsunade interrupted.

Sakura snapped to work carefully measuring Naruto's height and surprisingly he now stood almost six feet 3 inches tall. Not the tallest of their generation, no Shikamaru had captured that crown, but certainly impressive considering his size when they were genin. Sakura moved quickly taking a blood sample and was amazed to see Naruto healed as quickly as ever. She shot him a worried glance but a small nod was all she got in return. Taking his blood pressure and pulse Sakura could only conclude that Naruto was physically fit for duty.

"Tsunade-sama my findings are that one Uzumaki Naruto is physically fit for duty as a shinobi," Sakura announced.

"Very well Sakura now if Naruto would like to get dressed we can continue with the chakra exam," Tsunade responded.

Naruto quickly rewrapped his forearms before pulling his pants and shirt back on. Deciding to leave his cape off for the moment he sat back down the examination table. Hinata moved to where she could get a clear view of him before activating her Byakuugan. Giving Naruto a quick glance over Hinata almost fell down due to shock.

"Amazing," Hinata whispered getting curious glances from the other three women in the room, "His coils are extremely large and his chakra reserves are even larger."

"What does that mean?" Sakura questioned.

"It means that Naruto has quite possibly more chakra then the four of us combined," Hinata answered.

"That's impossible…" Tsunade whispered.

"But as far as I can tell his coils are large enough and seemingly undamaged, I see no reason why he could not perform as a shinobi Hokage-sama," Hinata continued.

"Very well Hinata, now for the last test, Ino," Tsunade announced.

"Don't worry Naruto this will be over in a minute just a quick dip into your mindscape and you'll be all set," Ino began while forming seals for her family's jutsu.

Before she could finish Naruto was at her side his hands quickly stopping hers.

"Ino…I know this is necessary but before you enter my mind you should know not to dig to deeply," Naruto warned.

"That's fine I don't have to dive into memories to find out if a person if fit for duty," Ino reassured the man before restarting her hand seal sequence.

Finishing Ino found herself inside of Naruto's mind. It looked shattered compared too most of the minds she had been in but she sensed no malice or insanity. She was careful not to let her curiosity get the better of her. Several members of her family had been careless enough to dive to deeply into a person's mind. If you did it became difficult to find your way back out and with Naruto's mind in the shape it was it would be suicide to go any deeper. Quickly forming the hand seals Ino deactivated the technique and found herself in her own body again.

"Well?" Tsunade questioned.

"His mind is a mess but I sensed no problems that would disallow him from returning to a shinobi life," Ino finished giving Naruto a small nod.

"Well that ends the reinstatement exam of Uzumaki Naruto and seeing as there are enough witnesses here to confirm your reinstatement I guess I can give you this back now," Tsunade announced as she reached into one of her pockets and produced Naruto's fore head protector.

She handed the black piece of cloth to Naruto who quickly tied it onto his head before grapping his sword and cape and fastening them back on.

"Naruto about those seals," Sakura spoke up causing Naruto to stiffen.

"I don't want to talk about it Sakura," Naruto responded coldly.

"But…" Sakura began.

"I don't want to fucking talk about it Sakura!" Naruto yelled as he threw open the window and vanished out the other side.

"He's changed so much," Sakura whispered as fresh tears filled her eyes.

A/N: Whew another chapter done and the longest one yet. This was the hardest chapter yet to write because it kind of is a filler chapter, I mean Naruto comes returns to Konoha but nothing really important to the story happens except for the skirmish outside of the village and the seals. Oh the seals will be explained fully later on as will the sword Naruto now wields. The ribbon is the ribbon Ino gave Sakura back when they were academy students and it will play a large part in the coming story so stay tuned. Also Kakashi will finally make his grand appearance in the next chapter. Please Review.


	5. Chapter 5: A Kunoichi's Power

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Ok, well I didn't get a lot of reviews for the last chapter but that is ok. As of right now this is a Naruto x Sakura story but I have been pressed by a few people to make it a Naruto x Sakura x Ino but that is kind of undecided this story is kind of by the seat of my pants.

Thanks for all the reviews. Again if anyone has any suggestions or comments on the story please review.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura (No Kyuubi anymore kind of…)**

**A Kunoichi's Power**

Naruto pushed himself hard to make it to the nearest training ground ignoring the searing pain that was shooting through his arms. He quickly shot a glance down to his arms and to his dismay saw the tips of the flames, now burning bright red, extruding from his forearm bindings.

'Damn it! I need to calm down,' Naruto cursed himself as he applied more chakra to his legs making his speed almost double.

"What the fuck is his problem," Ino huffed as she changed back into her formal kimono.

"Naruto seemingly does not want to discuss the origin of those seals on his arms," Hinata calmly answered.

Ino rolled her eyes at the Hyuuga wondering when she and Neji changed personalities. But quickly turned her attention to the third women in the room, whom had been quietly changing while the other two had been discussing Naruto's return.

"Sakura I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready," Ino said softly as she sat down next to her fellow medic.

"Yeah…" was all Ino got in response.

"Come on Sakura your not going to let that baka ruin your day are you?" Ino questioned.

"Yeah Sakura today is the Spring Festival its not like we get a lot of days off," Hinata added.

"I think I should go look for him," Sakura answered meeting Ino's gaze.

"He'll be at the festival at some point, besides what are you going to do walk around Konoha all day calling his name?" Ino questioned.

"She has a point Sakura," Hinata added.

'Why are these two double teaming me?' Sakura asked herself.

"I guess you're right it's not like I know where he goes when he's like this," Sakura sighed.

It was true Naruto had disappeared from time to time since she had known him. At first it was a welcome relief but once she had started caring for him she often wondered where he went to think or whatever it was he did.

"Ino lets go already," Sakura sighed as she noticed that Ino had begun reapplying some of her make up.

"What didn't you see him, those muscles and those eyes," Ino replied.

The sudden killer intent that was radiating off Sakura made Hinata look up to see Ino smirking at the pink haired kunoichi.

'Well that got the desired effect,' Ino commented as the three girls made their way through the changing room doors.

'Well now what am I supposed to do?' Temari mused as she walked through the crowded streets of Konoha.

Gaara was off meeting with the Hokage about something important and Kankurou had just left her to go to the hot springs. She couldn't really blame him the Konoha hot springs were famous even in the Wind country. It wasn't that she minded being alone it was just the reason they had come to Konoha's Spring Festival was to spend some time as a family. After all when your brother is the Kazekage and your brother is in charge of a black ops squad you don't really get to have family dinners that often.

'And where the hell is Shikamaru,' she asked herself.

While there were rumors about her and the shadow manipulating shinobi they were just rumors.

'Despite what that stupid blonde woman thinks,' Temari added to her train of thought.

It was just that he was one of the few people in Konoha she actually was on a first name basis with. Probably because all the time they had spent working in preparation for the Chuunin exams. Plus he was actually interesting to be around when he wasn't being lazy. She remembered the first time she had beaten him playing Shogi the shock on his face was something she relished in.

'God I really don't want to be alone, especially when there is a festival going on,' Temari thought to herself as she scanned the crowd for anyone who looked familiar.

"Pink…Hair…" Temari whispered as her dark green eyes captured a wisp of pink hair flash through the crowd.

"Sakura!" a woman's voice cut through the noisy streets.

Sakura turned scanning the crowd to see whom the voice had belonged to.

"Temari!" Sakura shouted as she waved her hand in the air as the Sand kunoichi approached her.

"Why is she here?" Ino whispered through her smile as the wind weaver approached her and Sakura.

Hinata had parted ways with the two young women shortly after they left the hospital. She said something about meeting up with her former teammates and having lunch.

'Great that blonde bimbo is with her,' Temari thought as she sent a short glare Ino's direction.

"So Temari how's life been treating you?" Sakura questioned as the three women resumed their way down the street.

"Busy as ever, thankfully Gaara managed to pass this little visit off as a political visit," Temari responded.

"How's your love life?" Ino inquired as she shrugged off a glare from Sakura.

"I'm not sure that's really your business now is it Ino?" Sakura interrupted seeing the seeds for conflict already being planted.

"Oh it's ok Sakura I don't really have any girl friends at home to gossip with," Temari replied.

Temari was quite jealous of the two girls. She had never had the opportunity to have any friends when she was growing up and there were not as many kunoichi in her village to become friends with. Even the few kunoichi who she did have an opportunity to work with saw her as more of a respected leader then a friend.

"Not all that great," Temari sighed as the three women sat down at an anmitsu stand.

Ino smirked as the Sand kunoichi's words registered in her brain. Sakura eyed the two carefully trying to figure out how to stay out of the coming battle.

"Well that…" Ino started.

"Oh really how come?" Sakura interrupted fully aware of what Ino was trying to do.

"Oh you know how it is none of the village guys want to have a relationship with a girl who is a ninja and most of the shinobi my age are already in relationships. Plus it doesn't help that Gaara is my brother," Temari sighed but grinned slightly at the last part.

"Yeah tell me about it," Ino sighed as she dug into her anmitsu.

"Speaking of guys Sakura any word from Naruto yet?" Temari questioned.

"You mean you haven't heard?" Ino almost yelled before Sakura could answer, "Naruto returned earlier today."

"What!?" Temari was shocked not really because Naruto had come back but because Gaara hadn't known about it or if he had he hadn't mentioned anything to her.

"But if he is back then why…aren't…you…?" Temari trailed off as she noticed the rather defeated look she was getting from Sakura.

"He wanted to be alone," Sakura whispered.

Temari shot a worried glance at Ino who merely shrugged and continued eating. Temari returned to her own snack while keeping an eye on Sakura wondering what had happened between the two.

"Men," Ino finally sighed getting a bit of a giggle from the two other women at the table.

"By the way Temari where are Gaara and Kankurou?" Sakura asked as she finished the last of her anmitsu.

"Gaara is at a meeting with the Tsunade-sama but I didn't think it would have taken this long and Kankurou is at the hot springs," Temari answered as she finished her snack.

"Well it would have been nice for them to join us I'm sure Ino wouldn't have minded either," Sakura answered ignoring the killing intent emanating from her roommate.

"Yeah it would have been nice I don't really get to see them a lot when we are at home and this was supposed to be a kind of family vacation but they both ran off on me," Temari answered.

"So what are we going to do now?" Ino asked as she noticed she was the last one to finish her treat.

"It's getting dark I really can't believe Gaara is still meeting with the Hokage and I'm not supposed to meet up with Kankurou for another couple hours," Temari answered as she looked at the evening sky.

"Well we could always go look for Naruto," Ino suggested half joking.

"Naruto… I swear I'm going to kill Gaara if he is with him," Temari's sudden mood shift startled the other girls.

"Huh!?" Ino questioned.

"Well think about it you guys have been here all day and haven't seen either of them and we all know that they would seek each other out if they knew the other was in town," Temari suggested.

'Maybe I should go look for him, it has been almost eight hours since he "escaped" out of the hospital window," Sakura thought.

"Hey Fore-head stop daydreaming!" Ino shouted waving her hand in front of Sakura's face.

"What?" Sakura huffed as she smacked Ino's hand away.

"We are going to look for Naruto and Gaara are you coming or not?" Ino questioned as she rubbed her sore hand.

"I don't think we…" Sakura started.

"Oh come on Sakura it's not like we are going to attack him we just want to know where he is," Temari interrupted, "And from what Ino has been telling me he has turned into quite the looker. And as hard as that is for me to believe my curiosity has gotten the better of my judgment so let's go."

Temari practically dragged Sakura out of the food stand and down the street toward the training grounds.

"Why are we going toward the training grounds?" Sakura protested as she tried to wiggle free from Temari's grasp.

"This is Naruto we are talking about," Ino said as she fell in beside Temari.

"Ok Temari you can let me go now," Sakura hissed as Temari finally released her arm.

"Just making sure your not going to run off," Temari giggled, "But if you did then maybe I could talk Naruto into escorting me around Konoha for the rest of the night."

Sakura immediately launched herself ahead of the other two women. Setting a pace that was only slightly below a jog. Temari glanced over at Ino who gave her a smirk.

'All too easy,' Temari thought to herself as she returned the smirk.

"I see and there is no way of knowing?" Gaara questioned.

"Not at the present time but I plan on sending several jounins to gather information," Tsunade answered.

"Very well I shall inform the Sand village's council," Gaara sighed as he rose to leave.

"Thank you Gaara," Tsunade bowed slightly as the Kazekage rose to leave.

"By the way Hokage-sama who are you going to send on such a mission," Gaara stopped at the door not bothering to turn around.

"There are only two kunoichi in this village with the necessary skill to complete the mission, but I plan on sending another jounin to keep an eye on them," Tsunade calmly answered.

"They must not be in the bingo book if this is to work Hokage-sama," Gaara coldly spoke.

"Don't worry they aren't," Tsunade grinned as Gaara opened the door.

"I will await their report," Gaara announced as he turned to face her, bowing slightly he exited into the hallway.

"I wish there was someone else I could send," Tsunade whispered as she pulled a bottle of sake out of one of her desk drawers.

"As much as I agree with you Tsunade-sama there is no one else who could complete the mission and come back alive," Shizune answered as she skimmed over the mission documents.

"I know Shizune at least I can send someone who will make sure they come back," Tsunade spoke as a small smile spread across her face.

"Ok maybe looking for him was a not such a good idea," Ino sighed as she trailed behind the other two kunoichi.

"Come on Ino this was your idea," Sakura retorted.

"I know and I'm saying it was stupid. I mean we have been to almost every training ground in Konoha and still no sign of him, plus its dark now," Ino sighed.

"There are only five training grounds left and we might as well check them now since the festival is long over," Sakura commented turning to look the blonde in the eye.

'Well this is taking forever and I really should be getting back to see what Kankurou and Gaara are doing,' Temari thought as she closed her eyes.

"Temari, Ino, do you feel that?" Sakura whispered causing the other two kunoichi to cautiously slide into battle stances.

"It's amazing he kept his chakra signature hidden for this long, if what Hinata said was true about him," Ino acknowledged.

"What are you two talking about I don't sense anything," Temari questioned.

"That's not surprising Temari after all we are trained as medical ninja, part of that training was to learn how to find low chakra signatures, it is really helpful for finding casualties," Ino answered.

"Come on and move quietly," Sakura motioned the other two to follow as she leaped up into a tree.

"Why are we hiding?" Temari whispered as the three kunoichi moved closer to chakra signature.

"Naruto doesn't like to be interrupted when he is training and if we just walk up to him he may just run again," Sakura whispered back as she approached training ground 18's perimeter fence.

Hopping over the fence with little more then a twig snapping the three kunoichi moved closer to the training ground's primary clearing. While other training grounds had a variety of environments to help train shinobi in any situation or environment they would come across on a mission. Training ground 18 was much older and there for only had a single clearing surrounded by immense trees.

'It's the perfect place for him to be alone, even though the festival is going on there would still be ninja training today but its doubtful even Lee would come here to train,' Sakura thought as she moved carefully through the canopy of the trees.

Pausing to move a limb aside Sakura caught her first glimpse of the clearing in which Naruto was training. Stopping in her tracks she was mesmerized by what she saw.

"Fore-head what's going on up there?" Ino whispered from below her.

"He's…dancing," Sakura whispered back.

"What?" Ino whispered back.

"I said he's dancing," Sakura said a little louder.

Ino's face contorted into a frown not really believing her friend. Quickly she scrambled up a nearby tree where she too could get a good look at what exactly was happening. Temari seemed to be coming to the same conclusion because she was also skillfully climbing the same tree as Sakura stopping on a slightly higher branch.

'What the hell is he doing?' Ino thought as Naruto's solitary figure moved slowly through the moon lit clearing.

"He's not dancing Sakura," Temari pointed out.

"Then what is he doing?" Sakura questioned her eyes still wide at the sight.

"His movements are two precise to be a dance," Temari answered.

"This is stupid why can't we just go confront him," Ino said quite loudly.

Suddenly the moonlight caught the glint of a blade as the ninjato on Naruto's back left its sheath.

'Shit he heard us,' Sakura thought as she gave Ino a look.

All three women tensed instinctively knowing that Naruto may have heard them. But to their amazement the motions continued the sword playing an intricate part as Naruto made slow, deliberate, yet smooth motions. The blade's edge danced in the moonlight as Naruto slowly sent directional cuts through the air.

"So that's what he was doing," Temari sighed as she relaxed.

"Care to explain?" Ino asked careful to keep the volume of her voice under control.

"Sakura was right it is a type of dance, but it's done as a kind of meditation. The sword and the body move as one creating fluid motion that helps a person perfect their form as well as relax," Temari answered.

"You seem to know quite a bit about it Temari," Sakura whispered her eyes still locked on Naruto's shadow covered form.

"I still do it sometimes with my fan, it's actually how I learned to wield it with such grace," Temari answered removing her eyes for just a second to glance over toward Ino.

'Grace, you don't have a graceful bone in your body,' Ino smirked at her thoughts but quickly returned her eyes to Naruto.

"Very good Temari-san," the voice caused all three women to jump slightly.

The three women reached for their kunai holsters only to realize they were still dressed in their formal kimonos. Quickly recovering from the initial shock the kunoichi fell into battle stances as the hidden shinobi revealed himself from behind a nearby trunk.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura whispered as she instantly recognized the older man.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you like that," copy-ninja quickly apologized after seeing the glares he was getting from Ino and Temari.

"How long have you been here Kakashi?" Ino asked obviously still annoyed he had managed to sneak up on them.

"Long enough Ino," Kakashi smirked as he noticed the slight blush evident on the three women's faces upon realizing they had been caught spying.

"Now do you mind if I join you?" Kakashi whispered as he leaped up onto the branch Ino was standing on.

The looks on the three women's faces was priceless Kakashi decided. He had come looking for Naruto as soon as he had finished talking to Jiraiya about the younger man's trip. But when he noticed the three women spying on the younger man he quickly decided he needed to have a little fun today.

'After all it was my first day off all year,' he added to himself as he gazed over toward the clearing Naruto occupied.

"What are you doing here Kakashi?" Temari asked.

"I'm spying on my former student," Kakashi replied not bothering to turn and face her.

'I'm beginning to understand why Gai gets upset when he talks to Kakashi. Oh my god! Did I just say I understand Gai?' Ino shook her head trying to remove the revolting idea.

"That's obvious Kakashi but why are you spying on him?" Temari pressed.

"Because after talking with Jiraiya-sama, I wanted to see the changes for myself," Kakashi whispered back.

"Do you know about the seals?" Sakura whispered turning to face her former sensei.

"Unfortunately not, Jiraiya said those where something Naruto would have to tell us himself," Kakashi explained.

"I see," Sakura whispered as her face fell shrouding her eyes with her pink hair.

Naruto strained to keep up his movements as the ninjato in his hand was starting to get quite heavy.

'I wish I could use chakra it would make this a lot easier,' he thought as beads of sweat rolled down his face before dripping off his chin.

'Seven hours straight but at least I calmed down," Naruto mused as he twisted his body enabling his sword to slash upwards at his imaginary foes.

The sword danced in the moonlight as he fell back into rhythm, letting his thoughts drift away from the constant ache in his arms. Slowly his dance continued unaware of the four and half sets of eyes that were studying his every move. Finally his sword twisted in his hand and he slide the blade back into the sheath strapped to his back.

"Well I guess I should get some sleep, could be a busy day tomorrow," he said to himself as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the glimmer of metal coming toward him. Skillfully he dropped into a defensive stance as his hand instinctively went for his sword handle.

'Shit! I can't dodge it!' he cursed himself as the glimmer sped toward him.

There was the sound of metal striking metal and several sparks flew as the sharpened blade deflected off Naruto's ninjato striking the ground inches from his left foot.

The three kunoichi were about to move to assist their fellow shinobi when Kakashi held up his hand signaling them to stop.

"He's not in any danger," Kakashi simply said as he pulled out on of his infamous books.

The three women were stunned they simply stared at the older man who seemed far to interested with reading his book then watching the attack on Naruto.

"Wait isn't that…" Ino trailed off as Temari just nodded at her.

Naruto quickly attempted to recover as he tried to flip backwards creating more room between himself and his attacker but to his surprise his body didn't respond. Only his eyes seemed to respond as he noticed the metal chain attached to the blade.

"Really Naruto you should be more careful," a voice called out from the shadows.

"Who the fuck are you?" Naruto growled.

"Your temper always was troublesome Naruto," the voice sighed as a figure appeared out of the shadows.

"Shikamaru?" Naruto questioned.

Who ever this person was they certainly didn't look like the lazy jounin Naruto had know when he left. He was easily taller then Naruto by a few inches though he seemed much slimmer then the blonde shinobi. His hair fell around his face causing it to be completely hidden in the shadows. While his tan jinbaori was frayed breaking up the natural lines of the body. Naruto's eyes traced the chain to his right hand where it seemingly disappeared into the sleeve of his long black shirt. The only similarity to the Shikamaru Naruto had known was the Chuunin vest that was now partially hidden under the jinbaori.

'There is no way this guy is Shikamaru,' Naruto thought as his mind tried to devise a way to get him free of what ever technique this imposter had trapped him in.

But his mind was soon interrupted by a loud yawn. Suddenly Naruto could move again as the man before him pulled the blade out of the ground returning it to his sleeve.

"Well let's get this over with its getting late and this is a troublesome task," the man spoke as the blade again appeared in his hand.

"A weapon isn't really your style Shikamaru," Naruto commented as he straitened trying to get a glimpse of the man's face.

"Oh I think this shogee fits my style fairly well," Shikamaru returned as he pulled a cigarette and a lighter out of his pouch.

"I'm just surprised you took the time to learn how to use it that's all," Naruto grinned as he watched the man's face become momentarily illuminated as he lit the cigarette hanging from his lips.

His face reminded Naruto of the young man he once knew but something had changed in his eyes. It was a look Naruto had only seen a few times on the man's face a look of extreme focus and determination. Naruto quickly noted the fact it looked like the man hadn't shaven in quite some time, while he didn't have a beard he certainly was scraggly.

"It was troublesome but enough of that shall we begin?" the Nara prodigy asked.

"Since when do you like to spar?" Naruto questioned as he slide into a battle stance.

"It is troublesome but if I was assigned to lead you on a mission I need to know what you are capable of," Shikamaru added as he spun the shogee effortlessly around his body.

'I'll never make that mistake again,' the shadow ninja added to himself.

"Ready when ever you are," Naruto commented.

"Seems we have quite the audience," Shikamaru whispered carefully making sure only Naruto could hear.

"Yeah, though your not much better," Naruto commented glancing over toward the trees surrounding the clearing before quickly returning his gaze to the shadowy figure before him.

"Well at least their not following me around," Shikamaru replied as his eyes narrowed slightly informing Naruto they were beginning.

The shogee shot forward at impressive speed causing Naruto to duck right and bring his ninjato up to stop the blades from hitting him. The shogee bounced harmlessly off the sword and deflected skyward. Naruto hardly had anytime to recover from his defensive move as another shogee shot toward him.

'Shit I should have known he would have two,' Naruto commented as the second shogee glanced off his forearm causing a deep wound.

"Hey just because I heal fast doesn't mean you can try to fucking kill me!" Naruto yelled as the wound closed up not even leaving a scar.

The other man didn't answer as he pressed his attack with his twin shogee. Naruto flipped backward spinning in the air as the two shogee passed above and below him. Twisting to the right Naruto pulled three shuriken out of his weapons pouch and threw them toward Shikamaru.

Shikamaru dodged the shuriken and pulled the shogee back into his sleeves while in the same motion reached into his holster and pulled out three kunai which her hurled toward Naruto. Naruto moved to his right slightly bringing his ninjato up to block the kunai.

'Shit he's not aiming for me he's aiming for my shadow,' Naruto cursed as he noticed the kunai's trajectory.

Naruto flipped forward causing the kunai to harmlessly strike the ground behind him where his shadow had once been. Not having the time to mount a counter attack Naruto rotated on his right hand sweeping low as one of the shogee shot through the space occupied by his head only moments before.

Recovering slightly Naruto pushed chakra into his legs allowing him to rocket away from Shikamaru. The shogee where on him in an instant causing him to block with his ninjato causing the first chained weapon to deflect toward the ground while the second weapon wrapped its self around his blade allowing the shadow ninja to pull Naruto off balance slightly.

The three kunoichi watching were awe struck. Not only was Shikamaru sparring with Naruto but he appeared to be winning. None of them had seen Shikamaru use his shogee with such mastery.

'Is this what he has been doing since that mission,' Ino thought as she watched the events being played before her with wide eyes.

Temari was equally impressed with the jounin. This did not go unnoticed by the single male spectator who just smiled while keeping his eyes focused on the match. Sakura on the other had kept her eyes focused squarely on Naruto watching through her trained eyes as the barely avoided the attacks. Her mind raced coming to only one conclusion.

"He's holding back," she whispered as Kakashi simply nodded.

"What the hell are you talking about Fore-head?" Ino whispered.

"Yeah Shikamaru is all over him, Naruto can't even counter," Temari added.

"Look closely at Naruto he's avoiding the attacks as their being initiated but only moving enough to make it seem like he's being caught off guard," Sakura whispered causing the other two women to glance wide eyed back toward the sword wielding shinobi.

Shikamaru seemingly sensed the same thing because his attacks suddenly stopped. Naruto looked at him with a curious look in his eyes as the man before him returned the shogee to his sleeves.

"What's wrong Shikamaru?" Naruto huffed trying to make it seem like he was slightly winded.

"Your holding back, so I guess I'll take it to the next level," Shikamaru coldly stated as the shadows from around Naruto shot toward him.

"Oh well," Naruto sighed as the summoned chakra into his limbs.

The wind picked up causing Shikamaru's hair to flap in his face.

"Finally," Shikamaru sighed as he readied himself.

Naruto was on him in a flash causing the other man to slide to his left barely dodging a right hook.

'Shit!' Shikamaru cursed himself as he realized the ninjato was missing from Naruto's right hand.

Barely having time to react the shogee shot into his hands as the raised the blades to block a powerful downward strike from Naruto's ninjato.

'Amazing he can attack in two different directions without pausing,' Kakashi smiled realizing how much his former student had progressed.

Shikamaru didn't have time to praise the blonde shinobi as Naruto pressed his attacks. Dodging three shuriken Shikamaru threw three kunai causing Naruto to roll forward anticipating they were aimed for his shadows. Shikamaru smiled as Naruto rolled into his trap. The three kunai imbedded themselves deeply into the blonde's forearms as the attempted to block.

"That was careless Naruto," Shikamaru panted as Naruto disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"Really?" the voice echoed from behind Shikamaru as he turned amazed seeing Naruto's fist just inches from his face.

A sickening crack echoed through the surrounding trees as the fist collided with it's target.

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed as he held his broken right hand.

"Your still holding back aren't you Naruto?" Shikamaru asked as he removed his forearms from in front of his face.

"So you saw through that charade too," Naruto winced as the bones in his hand snapped back into place.

"That was a good strategy Naruto I didn't even see you make the clone," Shikamaru praised as the seemingly returned to his apathetic self.

"Nah it wasn't that great though I enjoyed the look on your face, but did you really have to wrap those chains around your arms it was like punching a steal wall," Naruto commented as he returned his ninjato to its sheath.

"You should have realized that when you saw them," Shikamaru grinned.

"Well it was fun Shikamaru you have certainly improved your combat techniques," Naruto applauded.

Shikamaru sighed as he lifted his eyes to scan the cloudless sky.

"Well it's getting late Naruto how bout you and I go have a drink," the dark haired jounin suggested as he took a long drag from his cigarette before exhaling.

Naruto had discovered the joys alcohol could bring during his latest journey with Jiraiya nothing could help him forget the experiences he had endured through out his life like a couple bottles of sake could. Jiraiya's habit of drinking seemingly had rubbed off on him since he barely went a night with out downing several bottles of sake. It was the only way he could sleep after all.

"Just about to suggest the same thing," Naruto grinned as he threw his arm around the taller man's shoulders.

"Should we invite our audience it could make for a fun night?" Shikamaru whispered.

"Nah as you once said to me 'women are troublesome'" Naruto grinned back.

"You'll get no argument from me on that front," the shadow ninja laughed as the pulled four kunai from his pouch, "Don't want them following us now do we?"

Naruto merely grinned mischievously as the dark haired man spun on his heel releasing the kunai into the surrounding trees.

"Sorry about that but we can't have you following us everywhere!" Shikamaru yelled into the canopy.

"Nara Shikamaru I'm going to KILL YOU!" Ino's voice echoed through the training ground.

"Geez she sure is…" Shikamaru started.

"Troublesome?" Naruto added as he laughed for the first time in a while.

'It's good to be home,' Naruto added to himself.

"Yeah that's the best way to describe her. But those kunai should hold them in place for at least fifteen minutes maybe less with Sakura because of her strength," Shikamaru stated taking another drag from his cigarette.

Naruto smiled at the other man as the two made hand seals before disappearing in a swirl of leaves and smoke. The three kunoichi were still in shock.

"They knew we were here the entire time," Temari grunted as she struggled against the shadow bind.

"I'm going to kill both of them as soon as I get out of here," Ino yelled.

"Hey where did Kakashi-sensei go?" Sakura wheezed as she managed to move her left index finger.

The other two women's eyes moved swiftly to the spot the copy ninja had previously resided in only finding a black kunai imbedded in the tree branch.

"God damn it! He could have released us first!" Ino yelled as she continued to struggle.

"Give it up Ino they are long gone by now," Temari whispered as she closed her eyes.

"He knew we were here," Sakura whispered as she stared at the star filled sky above her.

'**I'm going to kill him when we get out of here**!' Inner Sakura yelled.

Sakura awoke the next morning still swore from the night before.

'Who knew Shikamaru's _Kagemane no Jutsu_ could be such a work out escaping from,' Sakura thought as she winced while attempting to stand up.

Ino was obviously already up as the shower could be heard.

'**I swear if she uses all the hot water!**' Inner Sakura broke in.

Sakura grinned as she pulled herself out of bed trying to keep her self up right with her sore muscles.

Naruto awoke to a stiff hangover thanks to the five bottles of sake he had consumed the night before.

'Shit where the hell am I?' the young man questioned as the scanned the darkened room.

Suddenly realizing he was sleeping on a couch his memory flooded back into his mind only serving to make his head ache worse. He remembered being with Shikamaru well into the night so this obviously had to be his apartment.

"Naruto are you going to sleep all day?" a tired voice called as the light flipped on.

Naruto cursed the sudden flash of light as he covered his eyes with his hands.

"You should really get dressed this scroll just arrived from the Hokage's office, something about an S-class mission," Shikamaru yawned as he slide into a recliner across from Naruto.

"How the fuck does that old hag always know where I'm at?" Naruto whispered as he grabbed the scroll from Shikamaru.

"Kakashi probably told her after all he did escape last night," Shikamaru calmly replied.

"Well I guess I should get going then," Naruto said as he tried to rise before falling back down into the couch.

"I guess I'll see you around Naruto," Shikamaru added as he gave Naruto a small wave before disappearing down the hallway.

Naruto finally regained some of his constitution and stood. Grabbing his ninjato and cape he quickly strapped them on before tying his forehead protector around his forehead.

"Oh by the way if you need a place to stay you can stay here I got the whole place to myself…now," a voice called out from the hall.

"Umm…Thanks," Naruto called back as he closed the door to the apartment behind him.

Ino sighed as she walked beside Sakura it had been a long morning at the hospital and now they were being summoned to the Hokage's office for some mission.

"What do you think this mission is going to consist of?" Ino questioned as she turned her gaze on her pink haired friend.

"I don't know but if they are sending the two of us they must believe there are going to be heavy casualties," Sakura replied.

Ino winced at the other girl's words but they made sense. After all they were two of the best medics in Konoha this mission was going to be bloody.

Stepping through the door to the Hokage's office Ino and Sakura could clearly see Tsunade was still slightly drunk from the night before.

'As to be expected Jiraiya's back in town,' Sakura mused.

'**I wonder if he tried anything perverted last night,**' Inner Sakura giggled.

"Ah Sakura, Ino come in," Tsunade called as she rubbed her temples in a desperate attempt to relieve her hangover.

"Reporting as ordered Tsunade-sama," Sakura announced as Ino and herself bowed slightly.

"Good I have a mission for you two it requires your specific…," she paused, "skills."

"What type of mission is it Tsunade-sama?" Ino questioned.

Tsunade handed them each a scroll. When the two girls notice the purple color of the seal they both flinched.

"An S-Ranked mission?" Sakura questioned.

"Yes, unfortunately you two are you only kunoichi capable of completing this mission successfully," Tsunade eyed them each carefully any doubt in their eyes would cause her to seriously rethink sending the two women.

"The only…kunoichi…" Ino whispered as she seemed to catch on.

Sakura quickly released the seal on the scroll in her hand and pulled it open. Scanning the mission's objectives and outline she couldn't help but gasp.

"Tsunade-sama this is…suicide," Sakura exclaimed as Ino released the seal and read quickly through her scroll before look up desperately at the older women seated before them.

"Don't worry Sakura you two aren't the only Konoha ninja going on this mission. I have arranged and escort for you two, one that I'm sure will do everything in his power to bring you both back alive," Tsunade grinned as the two girls turned skeptical eyes toward each other.

"Tsunade-sama Sakura and I believe that we can complete this mission on our own there is no need to endanger anyone else's life," Ino commented gaining a quick nod from Sakura.

They both had seen too many comrades die in the field and on the operating table to ever want someone to be placed in a situation were death was almost certain just to protect them.

"I admire your determination Ino and yours Sakura but I can not afford to lose the two of you and neither can Konoha," Tsunade stated as she looked both women in the eye.

She would never admit this to anyone but the women standing before her but she loved the two women standing in front of her in much the same way as she loved Naruto. She thought of them as daughters and she would be damned if they were going to die on some mission.

"What about our patients?" Sakura questioned.

Tsunade admired the two girls' work ethic and their devotion to their patients at the hospital.

"Shizune and I will personally be taking care of your patients while you are gone on this mission," Tsunade replied quickly destroying Sakura's fear.

"Now if there are no more questions all we have to do is wait for him to show up and we can start the official briefing," Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"Your sending Kakashi on this mission!?" Ino almost screamed.

"There is no way I would send that pervert on this mission," Tsunade laughed.

"Then who..?" Sakura asked.

Just then the window to the Hokage's office flew open as Jiraiya leaped through.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ino yelled.

"Jiraiya what the hell are you doing here?" Tsunade growled.

"I came for the briefing after all it is my information," Jiraiya smirked.

"Didn't you bring the brat with you," Tsunade stated angrily.

"You mean he's not here yet?" Jiraiya questioned nervously.

"Your sending Naruto on this mission with us?" Ino questioned a slight grin visible on her face.

"That is cor…" Tsunade was cut off as a black and crimson streak barged in the door.

"Hey Baa-chan what do you want?" Naruto asked as he dodged a paper weight with ease.

A/N: Whew another chapter down and a long one again. Anyway just wanted to clarify a few things that happened in this chapter I'll start with vocabulary.

**Ninjato**: A short, straight, one-sided sword used by ninja in most Hollywood films. While they are not historically accurate this is the kind of blade I wanted Naruto to wield.

**Shogee**: A blade attached to a chain used to strike at an enemy or entangle them. Shikamaru's are made out of the same type of metal as Asuma's blades meaning he can channel his chakra through them. Thus, enabling him to attack people's shadows as a way of immobilizing them.

**Kagemane no Jutsu**: Shikamaru's Shadow Bind technique.

**Jinbaori**: A traditional Japanese vest. Think of Shikaku's (Shikamaru's father) vest.

Ok second Shikamaru is probably me favorite or second favorite character in Naruto either in front or behind Naruto depending on how I'm feeling. He is fighting some of his own demons that will become more evident as the story goes on. That's the cause for his change in appearance as well as his adaptation of more weaponry into his arsenal.

Please Review, I'm not trying to be demanding but I see some stories that have a lot more review and nothing hardly has happened in them yet.

Also I'm looking for a beta reader or readers if you are interested please send me a message.

Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6: Confessions

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews I really appreciate them because it makes me want to write faster. One thing that I would like to ask is whether or not people like the way I write battles because there are going to be a lot more of them in the coming chapters and I want them to be good so based on the limited battles that have taken place in the previous chapters and this one please tell me where I can improve.

Ok so I'm still undecided about the whole Naruto x Sakura x Ino thing because well this fic didn't start out in my head as a threesome fic. But I can tell you that Naruto's relationship with Ino will become much more intimate but beyond close friendship I just don't know yet. Also Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Temari, and Gaara, because I can't leave him out, will be the primary characters and will get the most story time but the rest of the group will be involved a lot as well.

Big thanks to **templar132** and **Hymir** for beta reading my work and helping me a bit with some of the dialogue.

Enjoy the chapter.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura (No Kyuubi anymore kind of…)**

**Chapter 6: Confessions**

Naruto immediately froze on the spot when he saw the two kunoichi standing in front of the Hokage.

"What's this all about Baa-chan?" Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes and slid back against the wall.

''I swear he can't be anymore disrespectful,' Tsunade grimaced as she eyed Jiraiya dangerously.

'Damn brat you're going to get me killed,' Jiraiya mused as he nervously averted his gaze from the busty women.

"You are going on a mission with Sakura and Ino," Tsunade voice almost sounded like a mother scolding a child.

"What? I told you before I only want solitary missions and besides I'm sure they can handle themselves," Naruto voiced his displeasure while giving Tsunade and Jiraiya a heated glance.

'I swear this kid doesn't know how lucky he is,' Jiraiya laughed inside his head quickly coming up with a new idea for his next book.

"Perhaps you would like to read the mission description first Naruto," Tsunade replied as she handed Naruto his sealed scroll.

'An S-Rank mission?' Naruto thought as he quickly released the seal and read the mission description.

Tsunade got the reaction she was looking for in the young man leaning against the wall as his eyes flashed violently at her.

"What is the meaning of this, Hokage-sama?" Naruto voiced dangerously.

Sakura and Ino stood there still dumbfounded that Naruto was actually considering not accepting a mission to protect them especially one of this kind. The fact the mission was S-Ranked made it even harder to believe Naruto would refuse it.

"Well if you would let me start the briefing I will inform you," Tsunade grinned as the younger man folded his arms defiantly but stayed rooted to his spot.

"Now that I have everyone's attention Jiraiya if you would inform us of the information you have gathered," Tsunade said as the two women turned their full attention to the older man, Naruto seemed to be ignoring the briefing but Jiraiya knew he had the boy's undivided attention.

"One of my sources…" Jiraiya began.

"You mean one of those whores you hang around with," Tsunade corrected him.

"Umm… anyway one of my sources has informed me that the Cloud is preparing to launch an attack on Konoha and Suna," Jiraiya stated as Naruto visibly flinched but kept his eyes closed.

"How is that possible?" Sakura asked, "They shouldn't have the strength necessary to attack both of us."

"They have been recruiting missing nins from all over the world and offered them pretty much anything they could want. And as I'm sure all of you know there are some very powerful missing nins out in the world," Jiraiya stated as he scanned the younger faces in the room.

"We also have reason to believe the Cloud has formed an alliance with several of the smaller shinobi nations that will make it difficult for both Suna and us to communicate as well as reinforce each other as needed," Tsunade informed.

"But geographically that seems impossible. I mean we are in between the Cloud and Suna how could they hope to keep Suna and us from being able to communicate?" Ino asked.

"They have recruited the missing nin as well as the other nations for that specific reason. The missing nins are experts at hiding and slipping through countries unnoticed. As well as the smaller nations they have shinobi forces that lack the size of our own but are trained specifically for ambush situations. These two forces combined will make it very difficult for Suna and Konoha to keep a steady line of communication once the war begins," Jiraiya explained.

'There I said it,' Jiraiya thought.

'War…' was the only word the three young jounins concentrated on.

"Yes, there is going to be a war," Tsunade interrupted breaking the jounins out of their stupor.

"As you know the Cloud village has not participated in a war for quite some time and because of that have had ample time to prepare their forces. I would say they have at least the same number of shinobi as Suna and Konoha combined," Jiraiya stated.

"But why Konoha and Suna? Are we really that vulnerable?" Sakura questioned.

"Well, according to my information, it is because both countries no longer have Jinchuuriki to rely upon," Jiraiya eyed Naruto carefully as he finished.

Naruto's eyes shot open for a brief instant locking with the older man's before quickly returning to his seemingly apathetic position on the wall. Sakura's and Ino's eyes drifted over the blonde shinobi's face as he showed no visible signs of the battle stirring within himself.

'It's always my fault,' Naruto thought as he lowered his head ever so slightly allowing his blond locks to shield his eyes.

"But didn't Akatsuki seal all but the tailed demons except for the Kyuubi?" Sakura questioned as she eyed Naruto carefully.

"Yeah, and besides, Naruto is standing right there," Ino added before realizing what she had just said.

'All I am is a weapon, a tool for them to use to protect themselves,' Naruto mused as his fists clenched under the folds of his cape.

""Naruto… I'm sorry. That didn't come out right," Ino quickly apologized, but Naruto showed no signs he had even heard her first comment.

"Naruto has been off the record books in Konoha for almost three years Ino. The Cloud must believe he has died in combat as no news of his exploits has come to their attention," Jiraiya quickly answered trying to defuse the tense situation.

It made sense. After all, Naruto had almost single handedly destroyed the organization known as Akatsuki, so it would be hard to believe news of such a powerful ninja wouldn't be in the bingo book for three years. Suddenly it all made sense to Sakura, why Ino and herself were given this mission and why Naruto was being sent to watch over them.

"We're not in the bingo book…" she whispered but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Tsunade was generally impressed her apprentice had worked all of the mission details out in her head without further explanation. She flashed the younger women a confident grin as she shuffled through the mountains of paperwork on her desk before pulling out a black book. She threw it toward Sakura who proceeded to snatch it skillfully out of the air.

"You're correct in your assumptions Sakura. This mission requires kunoichi who are not in the bingo book in order to not be completely suicidal. While it is still highly dangerous because of the location, time period, and high degree of skill required to pull this off, it would be almost impossible for me to send jounin who are more experienced because they would obviously appear in the bingo book," Tsunade finished waiting for any possible questions before she continued.

"Hokage-sama, I understand why I am not in the bingo book, but why are Sakura-chan and Ino-chan not in it?" Naruto questioned not bothering to open his eyes.

'Did he just call me Ino-_CHAN_?' Ino questioned herself as a self satisfied grin stretched across her face.

'Did he just call her Ino-_CHAN_?' Sakura thought as she stood there… flabbergasted.

'**Jealous?**' Inner Sakura cooed.

'You wish!' Sakura shouted back silencing her inner self.

Jiraiya seemed unable to control himself any longer. Moving with speed representative of a Sannin he quickly pulled out a small note book and began scribbling something in it. Tsunade threw him a dangerous glance that he either didn't see or brushed off. A loud crash echoed through the Hokage tower as the Jiraiya size indentation in the wall crumbled as the older man fell to the floor unconscious. The two girls could barely control their laughter while Naruto seemed unaffected by his sensei's beating. Tsunade quickly returned to her seat and flipped a stray hair out of her face.

"Now to answer your question Naruto. Sakura, Ino, and Hinata have barely been out of the village on a mission in the three years since you have been gone. The hospital needs their expertise and they are simply too valuable to Konoha to risk on regular missions. This one, however, is very important to the future of Konoha as well as Suna," Tsunade finished as Naruto gave her a quick nod informing her he understood.

"Tsunade-sama?" Ino questioned.

"Yes, Ino?" Tsunade replied waiting patiently for the question she knew Ino was about to ask.

"Why then, isn't Hinata going on this mission with us? I mean it would seem the mission would be quite a bit easier with another member," Ino questioned, waving her hands for emphasis.

"Well you probably don't know this because you underwent your kunoichi jounin training at a different time, but Hinata hasn't received the training you two have," Tsunade paused.

"Why didn't she have to…?" Sakura started before she was cut off by Tsunade.

"Because she is a Hyuuga and not just any Hyuuga she is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. As unfair as it may seem she did not have to go through the training and will never be assigned a mission like this one," Tsunade finished as the two women nodded slowly seemingly understanding.

Naruto was completely lost. All his mission description said was for him to protect the two kunoichi from any enemies they may run across while in a small village in the Land of Lightning for three months. It didn't really even seem like it needed to be S-ranked to him, but if they were going to pay him that kind of cash to watch the girls' backs that was fine with him.

"Naruto, that is all for your briefing. You will be leaving from the North gate at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. I would recommend you be there on time," Tsunade informed the young shinobi as he nodded slightly before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Jiraiya! Wake up!" Tsunade yelled as she poured her bottle of sake over the other Sannin's head.

"Huh!? What the fuck was that for Tsunade!" Jiraiya growled before noticing Tsunade wasn't even looking at him.

Tsunade's eyes were shrouded by her hair as she gave Sakura and Ino a small hollow smile before turning to Jiraiya, not bothering to look up to meet his gaze.

"Jiraiya, if you will excuse us, I'll handle the rest of the briefing for these two," Tsunade's voice quivered just enough for Jiraiya to notice.

Jiraiya turned to the two young women in front of him, giving them each a small nod as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The two kunoichi turned their attention back to Tsunade, who was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check.

"Sakura, Ino, I'm sorry for putting you through this. No one else in the village knows about this mission and you have my word it will be sealed forever immediately after you leave this office. Even Naruto does not know the extent of this mission, only Jiraiya and myself will know of it. You two are like daughters to me and I want you to know how proud of you I am," Tsunade rose from her seat showing the younger women the unshed tears that lingered in her brown eyes.

"Tsunade-sama you don't actually expect us to need to…" Ino started before being cut off.

"I don't know Ino, you may be able to get away with using your mind jutsus and Sakura's genjutsu but there may be ninja who will be able to see through the genjutsu or counter your mind jutsus," Tsunade interrupted.

"But the only one who has ever been able to escape Ino's mind jutsus is me and I can perform those genjutsu techniques as well as Kurenai-sensei," Sakura's voice was almost pleading with Tsunade.

"I hope you're right Sakura, but remember, your mission is to gather information, and you won't be able to do that if you use too much chakra trying to overpower someone. All you'll end up doing is getting yourselves killed," Tsunade responded.

"Then why even send Naruto with us!?" Ino practically screamed the desperation quite evident in her voice.

"He will bring you back alive and that is the most important thing," Tsunade answered through her gritted teeth desperately trying to prevent the tears from falling.

"The most important thing!?" Ino was yelling now.

"Ino!" Sakura yelled as she put her hand on her best friend's shoulder.

The blond woman quivered slightly as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She quickly calmed herself and shrugged out of Sakura's firm grip.

"I understand Tsunade-sama," Ino quickly saluted as she turned to leave.

"Ino…I'm sorry," Tsunade's words stopped Ino before she could turn the door knob.

Ino's head spun around ready to yell at the older women but stopped when seeing the Hokage's chocolate eyes were overflowing with tears. Sakura was on the verge of crying as well, as she stared into her master's eyes.

'**We will get through this! And we will make sure Ino does too!**' Inner Sakura reassured.

'I will be strong! I will protect my home and I will finish this mission!' Sakura shouted back.

The three women took several minutes to compose themselves before Sakura broke the silence.

"Tsunade-sama… what are we supposed to tell Naruto? I mean, I'm not sure how is he going to take this," Sakura questioned.

"It is up to the two of you where and when or even want to tell him the full extent of this mission. I know full well he will not like it, but you must trust that he will understand," Tsunade replied.

The two younger women glanced at each other agreeing silently to talk about the matter later that night. Turning back to Tsunade, the two younger women nodded, saluted, and turned to leave.

Once Sakura and Ino had closed the door behind them, Tsunade collapsed back into her chair, clamping her right hand over her eyes.

"Naruto… Please, please… Protect them."

Naruto walked slowly down the streets of Konoha glancing around the place he had been longing to return to for so long. It amazed him how Konoha didn't change no matter how long he was gone. He could always expect the same bright sunshine and steady breeze. Naruto closed his eyes as he continued down the street allowing his other heightened senses to take in the surroundings.

The kick surprised Naruto as he toppled over, landing squarely on his face.

"Ouch! Damn it!" Naruto yelled as he pulled himself up.

The crying coming from behind him startled him slightly as he slowly turned not revealing the carefully hidden enemy he was expecting but instead a small black haired boy.

"Hey brat what the hell do you think you are doing!" Naruto yelled as the child stared at him before bursting into tears.

"Wait! No! I'm sorry! Don't cry kid," Naruto panicked as he bent down to comfort the small child.

Much to Naruto's dismay the child did not stop but the cries only got louder. Naruto had to think of something fast while he knew he was on most of the villagers' good sides he didn't need the image that he was picking on children. Quickly unbuckling his cape he threw it aside letting the young boy see his face clearly. Naruto gave the boy a bright grin which caused the boy to stop crying for the time being.

"Kumo! Where are you, you little brat!" a male voice called out from nearby.

Naruto watched the boy carefully as he scooped him up into his arms allowing the boy to scramble up to his shoulders. The boy laughed as the voice continued to call out his name.

"So your name is Kumo, huh?" Naruto asked as he stared up at the child busy pulling on his bandana style forehead protector.

The child nodded but didn't say a word for he was far to busy playing to pay attention to Naruto's questions.

"There you are! Sorry about that," the man called as he pushed his way through the crowded street.

He was dressed in traditional black shinobi attire; his tan chuunin vest showed he was at least of Chuunin rank. Naruto noticed he was quite tall even though he appeared to be several years younger then himself. His rolled up sleeves revealed thick forearms that ensured he was an assault ninja; his thick black hair was untamed as it seemingly erupted from his black forehead protector. The last thing Naruto noticed was the bright red scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

'No way is this guy…" Naruto thought.

"Naruto?" the man called out, "It is you isn't man it's been a while nii-chan."

"Konohamaru!" Naruto exclaimed as he shook the younger ninja's hand.

"Well at least you stopped Kumo from getting any farther away. His mom would have killed me if I lost him," Konohamaru winced visibly at the thought.

"I didn't know they had chuunin babysitting now," Naruto grinned as he playfully punched the younger nin on the arm.

"I'm a Jounin now thank you very much and I'm not babysitting he's my cousin," Konohamaru explained as he pulled the boy off Naruto's shoulders and slung him over his own.

"Your cousin?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't recognize him. He was only one when you left. His name is Sarutobi Kumo, he's Kurenai and Asuma's son," Konohamaru explained giving Naruto a sad smile when he mentioned Asuma.

"Oh well, I guess that explains it. Say, where are Udon and Moegi?" Naruto questioned as he watched the young child attempt to escape his uncle's grasp.

"Huh? Oh those two probably on a date or something it is our day off," Konohamaru responded as he blocked his nephews futile attempt to escape down an alley way.

"A date? I have been a way for a while," Naruto pondered as he scratched the back of his head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Konohamaru questioned as he once again lifted the boy off his feet to prevent him from escaping.

"I just keep forgetting that you all are older now guess I kind of wish I would have been there to see you guys grow up," Naruto finished as he let out a sigh.

"We all wish you were around too, Naruto," Konohamaru replied, casting his eyes downward.

"So moving on to more cheerful conversations, what have you been up to lately?" Naruto questioned as he eyed the younger man carefully.

"Oh nothing much just some normal B and A-Ranked missions mainly with Udon and Moegi, and training of course," Konohamaru added the last part with a grin.

"I'd like to see what you're made of someday Konohamaru, but I unfortunately won't be around much in the coming months," Naruto grinned.

'And neither will you if full scale war breaks out,' Naruto added to himself.

"You're leaving again?" Konohamaru questioned.

"Yeah I have a three month mission with Sakura-chan and Ino-chan," Naruto finished, not hiding the annoyed look he was presenting.

"Wow, you're one lucky bastard," Konohamaru joked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.

"Hell, any single guy in the village would give an arm and a leg to go on a three month mission with the two of them," Konohamaru explained while throwing Kumo up onto his shoulders and wrapping one arm around Naruto's neck.

"Well, I wish one of those guys was going, they are far too annoying to spend that much time with," Naruto finished.

'And they will ask too many questions, and what if they happen to see and they don't understand,' the questions filled Naruto's head as Konohamaru stared blankly at them.

"What?!" Naruto yelled once he noticed the younger man's gaze.

"Have you seen them since you got back?" Konohamaru questioned.

"Yeah I saw them at the hospital and then again this morning," Naruto answered.

"Were you really looking?" Konohamaru grinned as he elbowed the blonde in the side.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto questioned as he shrugged out of the other man's embrace.

"Nothing, just next time you see them take a second and give them a once over," Konohamaru added a perverted grin to make sure Naruto got the message before turning to leave.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Naruto yelled.

"Takes one to know one Naruto!" Konohamaru yelled back as he and Kumo disappeared into the crowd.

Naruto closed his eyes, throwing his hands over his face. Letting out a sigh, Naruto turned toward downtown Konoha, needing to purchase some supplies for his upcoming trip to the Cloud.

Sakura and Ino walked silently toward their apartment both still in shock over the mission they had just received. They both knew this mission was essential to Konoha's future but that didn't mean it seemed fair.

"What are we going to tell Naruto?" Sakura broke the uncomfortable silence.

Ino wasn't sure if she should answer since she really didn't know the answer either.

"I don't know how we are going to tell him, much less the actual words," Ino answered letting out a defeated sigh.

Ino had always prided herself on being in control over her male teammates and she never imagined that she would actually be apprehensive of telling Naruto of all people the complete details of her and Sakura's mission.

"We have to tell him though," Sakura continued.

"Do we?" Ino questioned.

"We have too, there is no way he could protect us from enemy ninja if he doesn't know what we are doing," Sakura responded.

"I guess your right but I think we should wait until we are closer to our destination," Ino sighed.

"Definitely, it will take us at least a week to travel to the village without pushing ourselves and since we have to take the appearance of civilians we will have to take our time," Sakura added.

"Plus he just got back and by the looks of things he has his own issues he needs to sort out without us springing this on him," Ino continued.

"He really isn't the same, is he?" Sakura sighed.

"Some where the Naruto we know is in there we'll just have to find him again," Ino grinned silently issuing the challenge to her rival.

Sakura just smirked while her mind rested on the mission that lay before the two of them. Sakura was not pleased to be going on this mission, in fact, she would rather die then do what was necessary for her village, but she was glad Ino was going with her. Together, with Naruto backing them up, they may just be able to come back from this mission alive and as Tsunade said that was the most important thing.

"I think… I think we should go out and have some fun tonight Ino," Sakura suggested.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with the real Sakura?" Ino joked.

"Very funny, it is going to be our last night in Konoha for a couple months might as well make it a good one," Sakura pumped her fist in the air.

"Now you are talking Sakura!" Ino yelled as they two women hurried back toward their apartment to prepare for the evening ahead.

Naruto knocked hard twice on the top floor apartment door. Even though Shikamaru had told him he was allowed to stay there, Naruto wasn't going to go barge in on the man.

'No answer damn it, I hope he didn't have mission or something,' Naruto thought as he banged on the door again making sure the noise would awaken any napping ninja inside.

"The door is open Naruto," Shikamaru's voice called from above him.

Naruto looked up to see the man looking down on him from the roof of the apartment building. Deciding it was too early to go to bed Naruto leaped up to the roof sailing silently over Shikamaru's head and landing gracefully on the roof beside him.

"Watching the clouds again, Shikamaru?" Naruto questioned as he stared out at the evening sky.

"Something like that," Shikamaru answered as he sat down folding his hands behind his head as he laid his head down on the roof.

"I'm going to be gone for a while Shikamaru, so I guess you'll have the apartment to yourself for a while," Naruto said without turning to look at the other shinobi.

"Guess that S-Ranked mission is going to be a long one huh?" Shikamaru questioned as he closed his eyes.

"Three months…alone…with Sakura-chan and Ino-chan," Naruto softly spoke.

The laughter coming from behind him told Naruto Shikamaru found his situation entirely amusing.

"This calls for a celebration Naruto, I mean, how could you have gotten so lucky," Shikamaru laughed.

"Very funny Shikamaru, it's going to be horrible, I'm going to be baby sitting two jounin kunoichi for three months and you think it's funny," Naruto commented as he turned to face the cloud watching jounin.

"Well I wouldn't want to be in your shoes; that's for sure," Shikamaru commented finally getting his laughter under control.

"I think I need a drink," Naruto commented as he rubbed his temples trying to alleviate the headache that was already setting in.

"Yeah I think you do," Shikamaru grinned as he rose from his position to prepare for the night ahead.

Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru strolled lazily down the street toward Konoha's bar district. Shikamaru had ensured Naruto they wouldn't be running into any of the other old rookies at the bar he was taking him too. And so Naruto was quite content to answer Shikamaru's questions about his up coming mission with Sakura and Ino.

"You're getting S-Rank pay for that mission?" Shikamaru questioned in disbelief.

"Yep, I don't really understand it either to be honest with you," Naruto answered running his hands through his thick golden hair.

"There is more to this mission then what it said in your briefing Naruto," Shikamaru plainly stated as he lit a cigarette.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned as Shikamaru lead him around a corner into a darkened side street.

"If you were actually going to the Hidden Cloud village on this mission I could see the S-Rank but you are only going right across the border, so obviously you are not being told something," Shikamaru answered as he stopped in front of a relatively old building.

Naruto stared at the bar he was about to enter, which seemed to echo his mood. The windows where covered with thick black curtains, allowing only a few beams of light to escape from the inside. Naruto carefully walked through the door half expecting all of his old friends to be standing on the other side. Much to Naruto's relief the bar was relatively empty with only a few old men and the bartender present. The fireplace and a few lights barely illuminated the bar.

"Ah Shikamaru, the usual tonight?" the bartender asked as the shadow ninja took a seat at the bar.

Shikamaru nodded as he motioned for Naruto to sit down beside him. Naruto complied sliding onto the barstool beside the Nara.

"And what is your friend's fancy?" the old bartender asked.

"He's having what I'm having, it is a special night after all," Shikamaru answered before Naruto could say sake.

"Coming right up," the bartender replied as he sat two cups down in front of the two men.

The bartender returned with a clear bottle and began filling the two cups in front of the two men before turning to replace it on the shelf.

"Leave the bottle," Shikamaru protested.

Turning, the old man just smiled as he placed the bottle back down on the bar between the two men.

"Shochu huh?" Naruto commented as he swirled the clear liquid before taking a large gulp.

"Yeah sake doesn't have to kick like shochu does and besides, we both know you're going to need all the kick you can get," Shikamaru grinned as he downed the clear beverage.

"Damn right," Naruto muttered as he drained his own cup.

Sakura and Ino were not having much fun; while this was Ino's normal hang out, the mood seemed completely out of pace with theirs. Ino glanced over toward the dance floor, wishing she could be having as much fun as it seemed the other women at the dance club were having. Sakura's thoughts were along the same lines as she eyed a couple sitting in the corner as she downed another cup of sake.

"Hey Fore-head you want to get out of here?!" shouted Ino over the loud music.

"Aren't you having any fun Ino-pig?!" Sakura shouted back.

"Not really, I'm just not in the mood for this type of party," Ino shrugged as he pulled her fellow kunoichi out of the bar and into the cold night air.

"Damn it's cold out here," Sakura frowned as she rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to get warm.

"Yeah just think of how cold it is going to be up in the mountains," Ino shivered at the thought.

"You got all your cold weather gear packed right?" Sakura questioned as the pair began walking down a side street.

"I'm not an idiot like Naruto, Sakura," Ino joked.

"Yeah you have a point. I bet he won't bring anything," Sakura laughed noticing the amount of alcohol in her system was just enough to make her giddy.

The two girls didn't notice they were quickly approaching a dead end as they continued to enjoy themselves even though it seemed they were quite cold. Suddenly, Ino stopped staring up at a dimly-lit sign that hung several feet above their heads.

"Hey what is this place?" Ino questioned as she pointed toward the sign.

"Looks like a bar," Sakura observed as she noticed the small beams of light escaping through the blacked out windows.

"I've heard of this place, I wonder what it looks like on the inside," Ino gestured toward the door.

"Ino, no way we are going in there, by the look of this place it's a hangout for lowlifes," Sakura whispered carefully hoping no one on the other side of the door could possibly hear her.

"Oh come on you chicken what's the worst that could happen," Ino stated as she pulled Sakura through the door.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru hissed under his breath as he eyed the new arrivals standing in the door way.

"Is my only purpose on this planet to suffer?" Naruto muttered as he quickly poured another cup of shochu and downed it without even bothering to put the bottle down.

"Never mind Sakura you were right this is a den of lowlifes," Ino hissed as she immediately recognized the two figures sitting at the far end of the bar.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"What'll it be ladies?" the old bartender asked as the two women positioned themselves at the far end of the bar.

"Sake for me," Sakura answered averting her eyes momentarily from Naruto's figure.

"Same," Ino replied as she took her seat.

'**If we both get drunk, and ****if we**** pawn the Pig off on that lazy bastard we could possibly…**' Sakura immediately forced he inner self back into a deeper recess of her mind.

Sakura had learned very quickly that Inner Sakura had a tendency to be able to voice her obscene comments easier when she was drinking. In fact if she actually got drunk Inner Sakura could even temporally take over her mind, which had resulted in some rather embarrassing moments on her eighteenth birthday while out with Tsunade.

"You know Sakura, Ino if you two are going to go on a three month mission with Naruto you guys really should get to know him better, I think it will make the mission be less troublesome," Shikamaru half shouted at them.

The young Nara ignored the death glare he got from Naruto, passing it off by simply pouring the other man another drink before ordering another bottle of shochu for the four of them.

Ino was immediately on edge; her mind raced trying to determine exactly how much Naruto had told her former teammate about their upcoming mission. She was about to send two carefully hidden kunai toward Naruto's throat when she remembered his mission briefing did not have the full details of her and Sakura's mission. And judging by the shadow manipulating ninja's mood he didn't know the true nature of the mission either. The two women quietly moved from their seats to the booth Shikamaru was leading them too. Sitting down opposite the two men they finally realized just how drunk the two were.

"Naruto! We have an S-Ranked mission tomorrow and you're drunk off your ass!" Sakura yelled.

"Could you be any louder? Honestly, this mission is going to be a piece of cake," Naruto sighed.

"A PIECE OF CAKE? YOU DON'T HAVE A FUCKING CLUE DO YOU!" Ino screamed throwing her sake in Naruto's face.

"What is your FUCKING problem Ino?!" Naruto screamed as he tried to stand.

"Calm down Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she tried to hold Ino from leaping over the table.

The pain in Naruto's arms would have normally been too much for him to bear but the amount of alcohol present in his body had numbed his senses, making the pain bearable. Naruto tried to stand again, believing it was just the shochu that was making it impossible for him to stand. Suddenly everyone was quiet; as none of them seemed to be able to move an inch, slowly all three pairs of eyes fell on the Nara.

"Naruto calm down, now!" Shikamaru bellowed as he lit another cigarette.

Naruto complied as the felt the _Kagemane no Jutsu_ release its hold on his body. He sat down folding his arms across his chest trying to ignore the pain his rage had made him forget. Ino flashed him a victorious smirk that almost pushed him over the edge again had it not been for Sakura's emerald eyes locked onto his burning seals that had revealed themselves from the wraps around his forearms.

"Ino you too!" Shikamaru ordered as he gave the women a glare causing a chill to run up and down her spine.

Sakura sat there in complete silence. It took every bit of her resolve not to send a deadly jab straight into Naruto's face. She kept reminding herself that Naruto didn't know the true nature of her and Ino's mission. But soon she found herself enthralled by the burning seals that had inched higher and higher from beneath Naruto's black forearm bindings.

'What purpose do those seals have?' Sakura asked herself.

"Unfortunately I do not know anything about this mission you three are going on but I do know that you all need to learn how to work together or you won't survive," Shikamaru's statement shook Sakura out of her thoughts.

"He's right Naruto," Ino huffed apparently remembering Naruto had no clue what was really going to happen on this mission.

Naruto quickly realized that the questions would soon be directed at him and covered his forearms the best he could with his hands. Turning his eyes away from his companions to ensure they couldn't see the pain evident in his eyes as he pinched them shut.

"Naruto… Are you all right?" Sakura questioned, causing the blonde shinobi to meet her emerald eyes.

"Fine Sakura-chan, I'm sorry about before I guess you two are worried about this mission. It is because you haven't had a lot of field mission in the past couple years right?" Naruto quickly changed the subject hopeful to put off any further questions about him self.

He wasn't ready to answer those questions yet, he didn't know if he ever would be. And he wasn't excited about being placed on a mission of this length with Sakura and Ino. It would only take one slip up, one tough battle, or, dare he even think it, one death to reveal it. No, he wasn't ready for them to see that, he would never be ready for them to see what he had become.

"We have never had a mission like this one before Naruto it is going to be Ino's and my first time doing something like this," Sakura responded careful not to reveal too much with the intoxicated but still calculating mind of Nara Shikamaru present.

Ino shot Sakura a dangerous look that neither of the males seemed to pick up on revealing to Sakura just what she had said.

'Shit! Did I say too much?' her thoughts raced as she eyed the two men sitting across from her.

"Well I have never been on a mission like this on either Sakura-chan, I guess I was always too loud to be considered for intelligence gathering missions," Naruto laughed the copious amounts of alcohol taking effect.

The unseen tension in Sakura's shoulders disappeared as Naruto gulped down another glass of shochu. Ino also seemed to relax a bit as she reached for the glass of the liquor that Shikamaru had just poured for her.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by as the four ninja actually began enjoying each others company. The girls seemed to delight in telling Naruto and Shikamaru every detail of their day while Naruto downed glass after glass of shochu, stopping only to watch Shikamaru light another cigarette revealing the amusing annoyed expression on his face. It seemed almost too early for the bar to be closing as the four shinobi stepped out into the brisk night air, the breeze stung their faces as it whipped through the narrow alleyway. And suddenly there was silence as the four shinobi realized the night was over and their S-Ranked mission was about to begin.

"It's so fucking cold out here," Ino slurred as she rubbed her bare arms vigorously in a vain attempt to keep herself warm.

Naruto was either too drunk to really feel the cold or his crimson cape that blew around his body seemed to protect him from the cutting wind. To his utter astonishment, Shikamaru removed his jinbaori and wrapped it around Ino's shuddering shoulders. The look of shock on her face showed Naruto she was as astonished as he was. His eyes crossed the space between Ino and Sakura and noticed she was trembling, though she was obviously trying hard not too.

"Sakura-chan here," Naruto quickly unbound his cape and handed it to the woman beside him.

"Naruto, I can take this. Shikamaru's apartment is all the way across town while Ino's and mine is much closer. I'll be fine," she assured him as she pushed the cape back toward him.

Sakura couldn't help but smile a bit when she saw the crimson ribbon still fixed in it's spot around Naruto's right bicep. But that didn't mean she was going to let him catch a cold right before a mission of this importance. If she was sick it made little difference but he was there to protect them, and a sick ninja is an ineffective one.

"Just take it Sakura," Shikamaru interrupted.

"Yeah come on Fore-head he's trying to be nice for once," Ino snickered causing Naruto to give her a dangerous glare.

Ino returned the glare and playfully stuck her tongue out at he fellow blonde. In his drunken state Naruto attempted to lunge at her but only managed to trip over his own feet causing him to face plant into the dirt street. Ino jumped back some how able to keep her balance despite the tremendous amount of alcohol she had consumed. Naruto recovered quickly and tried to reach out to pull her pony tail. Ino again side stepped causing the blonde ninja to double his efforts to catch the young women. His eyes blazed with anger as she continued to avoid his grasp. The pain was somehow strangely absent though as he and Ino moved farther away toward the main road, leaving Sakura and Shikamaru to lazily stroll in their wake.

"He still loves you," Shikamaru whispered catching Sakura off guard.

"He has changed so much I'm not sure he does Shikamaru, and even if he did, he is Naruto, he's practically my brother," Sakura responded.

"I see," Was all the Nara said as he increased his pace to catch up to the two blonde shinobi who are now both laying face first in the roadway laughing.

'I don't love him,' Sakura told herself.

'**You're not a very good liar,**' Inner Sakura responded slyly.

'I'm not lying!' Sakura yelled back.

'**How**** long do you think you can keep on lying to yourself**' Inner Sakura questioned.

'I DON'T LOVE HIM!' Sakura screamed into her mind.

'**Ok I guess you don't but you should really pull Ino off his lap,**' Inner Sakura grinned as she retreated back into the recesses of Sakura's mind.

'WHAT!' Sakura almost screamed out loud as she turned her attention back to the blondes in front of her.

'You lying bitch!' Sakura screamed into her mind but got no response as she watched Naruto lean against a building trying to steady himself as Shikamaru helped Ino up from the ground.

The four ninja parted ways several minutes later as the girls turned toward their apartment leaving their male counterparts with a good night for Naruto and a hug from each of them for Shikamaru.

"Naruto, I need to tell you something," Shikamaru interrupted during their trek home.

"Hmm?" Naruto questioned as he turned his attention to the Nara in time to see him light another cigarette.

Taking a long drag from the cigarette Shikamaru spoke, "You better bring them back Naruto, or I'll kill you myself."

"Yeah I know, but you'll have to get in line behind the old hag," Naruto responded giving Shikamaru a confident grin before wrapping his arm around the taller man.

'I will bring them back, or die trying,' Naruto told himself as his deep blue eyes searched the cloudless sky.

A/N: Sorry for the wait I have been having some serious writers block and I have another story that I have been trying to put off writing but that may not happen because it won't stay out of my head long enough for me to complete this story.

**Shochu: **Japanese liquor much like vodka.

Please Read & Review

I got a lot of reviews last time and it really did help me to write this chapter despite my writer's block. Tell me what you think and if you do like my battles tell me if you don't tell me how I can improve I am really looking for some help either way here.

**Next Chapter:** Sacrifices: The Mission Begins


	7. Chapter 7: Sacrifices

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay in chapters I have been really busy with work and stuff but I'm really going to try and write a bunch of chapters really quickly to make up for it.

Thanks for all the reviews, they really help me get through the whole writing and thought process faster. Questions are still welcome but I won't give anything away so if you really want to know something you are going to have to wait for the upcoming chapters. The questions I will answer are questions about general things or misunderstanding that took place during the chapter. This story should have around 20-25 chapters if it goes as planned. I could be more it could be less because new ideas for this story pop into my head all the time. Just know that this is just the first arc of this story.

I also may start working on a Sasuke x Sakura story, which I honestly can't believe I am even considering cause of how much I like Naruto x Sakura but the plot is something I haven't seen done before, though I do not read a lot of Sasuke x Sakura stories, but it will not take precedence over this story so don't worry, if I even write it.

Enjoy the chapter.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura (No Kyuubi anymore kind of…)**

**Chapter 7: Sacrifices**

Naruto's alarm clock broke the otherwise peaceful morning as he struggled to pull himself off the couch to turn it off.

"Fuck my head," Naruto hissed as his hands moved quickly to his temples trying to elevate the sharp pain shooting through his skull.

Naruto rose slowly trying to keep his balance in his still half drunken state. Bumping into the small table that sat between the couch and the bathroom Naruto lost his balance slightly.

'This is going to be a shitty day,' he thought as he stopped to steady himself before stumbling into the bathroom for a quick shower.

"Where the hell is that brat," Tsunade sneered as she eyed Jiraiya dangerously.

"Don't look at me I was with you all night," Jiraiya spoke without really thinking.

Tsunade's fist sent Jiraiya flying backwards into one of the many ancient trees that lined the road leading to the North gate. The snickering from the two kunoichi behind her told Tsunade they had heard the entire conversation.

"Sakura! Ino! What is so funny?" Tsunade yelled causing the two young women to immediately stop their giggling.

Continuing down the road the three women left Jiraiya in a heap not caring to check the older man's health.

'Hell he's practically as tough as Naruto when it comes to our punches,' Sakura mused as she applied more soothing chakra to her slowly receding hangover.

The North gate came into view as the rounded a slight bend in the road causing the three women to instantly flinch. But not one of them showed any other sign of what the two young women would be facing on the mission a head of them.

"Well since your escort has picked up some of Kakashi's habits I guess we will have some time to talk a little more about this mission," Tsunade began.

"Shit! I'm late!" Naruto yelled as he pushed him self to reach the North gate.

Suddenly a kunai shot from a nearby roof top toward the unsuspecting blonde. Naruto caught glimpse of the weapon just in time as he pushed hard off his right leg causing his body to flip forward over the kunai as it impacted the roof behind him. Naruto spun around landing in a defensive position shrugging his cape away from his right arm as it reached for his ninjato.

"That won't be necessary Naruto," a voice called as a single ANBU member appeared before him.

"What do you want Yamato?" Naruto questioned instantly recognizing the man's smell.

"I came to see if what Kakashi-sempai told me is true," the hooded figure answered.

"You, Kakashi, and Ero-Sennin are the only ones who know the truth," Naruto answered as he pulled the bindings around his arms free revealing his flame like seals.

"I see, you do not plan on telling Sakura then?" the older man questioned as he inspected the seals.

"No I don't it is better if she does not know," Naruto simply answered.

'She doesn't need another reason to hate me,' Naruto added to himself.

"I'm not sure that plan is a very well thought out Naruto," Yamato responded shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Not many of my plans are," Naruto joked.

"Yes, well consider telling her the truth you never know what may come of this life," the masked man responded.

"I already have Yamato, please just leave it be," Naruto almost pleaded.

"Very well then I leave you to your business just remember to be cautious," Yamato finished as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"You understand that I can give you no guarantees?" Tsunade questioned.

The two women in front of her nodded as they gave their belongings one last check. Suddenly a black and crimson streak landed beside them causing them both to jump slightly.

"Gosh, you two sure are on edge today," Naruto commented as he gave them a small grin.

Both women glared at him causing Naruto's grin to become more pronounced revealing his slightly elongated canines.

"Naruto why are you late again?" Tsunade questioned.

"Why do you smell like sake and Ero-Sennin?" Naruto responded.

"Well…I…" Tsunade stuttered.

"Yeah that is what I thought Baa-chan," Naruto laughed.

"Naruto you understand that if you don't bring them back not even Jiraiya's tricks will be able to save you," Tsunade whispered making sure only Naruto could hear.

The threat sent shivers up and down Naruto's spine.

"Don't worry about it Baa-chan," Naruto answered as he placed his hand on the older women's shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Well I guess the ladies and I should be going huh?" Naruto questioned as he turned toward the gate with Sakura and Ino falling into position behind him.

"Are we really going to do this?" Ino whispered to Sakura.

"We don't have much choice now," Sakura answered as the three Jounins took their first steps outside the gates of Konoha.

Sakura and Ino slowed to almost a crawl as they hesitantly made there way away from the safety of their home knowing it was likely they would never return. And even if they did happen to make it back alive things would never be the same, not after this.

"Hey what's wrong with you two I know we can take our time but keep up," Naruto called back over his shoulder.

"Sorry Naruto," Sakura whispered as she took one last glance at the gates of Konoha before quickening her pace to match the blond ahead of her.

"Ino, damn it will you move your ass?" Naruto called.

"Fuck you Naruto!" Ino called back as she almost stopped dead in her tracks to take in Konoha one last time.

'Something is definitely not right here,' Naruto thought as he watched the two kunoichi carefully.

Shikamaru's words echoed through his mind. _"There is more to this mission then what it said in you__r__ briefing Naruto. If you were actually going to the Hidden Cloud village on this mission I could see the S-Rank but you are only going right across the border, so obviously you are not being told something."_ What weren't they telling him?

"What are you two so worried about? Come on we are going to be fine," Naruto suggested even thought he knew it was probably a lie.

'Fine huh? I am only fooling myself, there is a significant chance one of them will not be coming back from this mission,' he thought as he eyed the two women carefully.

"We are fine Naruto really lets just get moving," Sakura finally answered him as placed her right hand onto Ino's shoulder.

Ino immediately freed her eyes from the retreating village of Konoha and letting out a small sigh closed her eyes and began following Naruto once again.

'Damn that Nara, he really is smart,' Naruto thought as he threw his cape over his right shoulder revealing the crimson ribbon still tightly tied around his right bicep.

The two women's eyes instantly locked onto the piece of tattered yet meaningful cloth as Naruto turned his head so he could see both of their faces as he gave them both a small grin.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to either of you, there are you satisfied," Naruto smiled as he returned his gaze to the long road ahead of them not noticing the tears that were forming in Ino's and Sakura's eyes.

Naruto didn't really know why he promised the two kunoichi following him that he would protect them. Maybe it was part of the old, naive Naruto who thought he could keep ever promise he made.

'Promises huh?' Naruto mused, 'Sometime I think they are made so they can be broken.'

Three hours had past since they had left the safety of Konoha and the spring sun was turning the chilly morning into a rather comfortable afternoon. Naruto still lead the way as the two kunoichi followed him at a leisurely pace.

"Well this is as good of place as any," Naruto sighed as he glanced around the small clearing the road pasted through.

Naruto abrupt stop caused the two women behind him to fall into defensive battle stances. Naruto grinned as he felt the sudden increase in their chakra signatures. His hand moved slowly concealed by the folds of his cape to his kunai holster. Pulling two of the deadly weapons from their holster he felt for the balance point on each weapon as he twirled them unseen in his right hand.

Sakura's emerald eyes scanned the trees surrounding the small clearing looking for any kind of movement. Her eyes shifted from the surrounding foliage back to Naruto just in time to see the shinobi drop to one knee and spin launching the two kunai at her and Ino.

Ino reacted just in time flipping to her right and using her hand as a spring board to launch herself out of the kunai's path. She glanced back toward Sakura in time to see her friend pull nearly the same evasive move to her left. Ino's glare immediately refocused on the grinning Naruto.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DO…!" Ino didn't have time to finish as Naruto shot forward aiming a powerful punch at her face.

Ino pushed chakra into her legs allowing her to rocket backwards matching Naruto's speed. Ino skidded backward as she landed and instantaneously changed directions as Naruto's punch missed her nose by millimeters. Naruto didn't seem to respond to the change of direction at first causing Ino to relax for just an instant. Naruto grinned wider as three shuriken appeared from the folds of his cloak in Ino's direction. Ino didn't have time to dodge; instinctively she threw her arms up in defense hoping to take the brunt of the attack.

The sound of metal impacting metal filled the small clearing followed by an unpleasant silence. Ino glanced over toward Sakura who's precisely thrown kunai had deflected Naruto's shuriken. Giving her fellow kunoichi a small nod she returned her full unbridled anger back toward Naruto who wasn't even looking at her.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO FUCKING KILL US!?" Ino screamed.

"I guess it won't be that easy," Naruto responded not bothering to turn and face the infuriated kunoichi.

"ANSWER HER NARUTO!" Sakura screamed.

Sakura wasn't so much angry as she was scared. Had it all been a ploy just to get Ino and herself away from the village so the Kyuubi who now possessed Naruto's body could savagely kill them.

"If I was trying to kill you, you would be dead by now," Naruto responded as he unfastened his cape allowing it to settle on the ground.

"Then what the fuck are you trying to do?" Ino asked still not ready to relax.

"Just something Shikamaru taught me," the blonde responded looking over his right shoulder to reveal his menacing grin.

'He is testing us?' Sakura asked herself as she quickly glanced at Ino who's fist was trembling in anger.

"YOU PICKED THE WRONG DAY TO FUCK WITH ME NARUTO!" Ino screamed as she launched her self toward her fellow blonde.

Naruto turned to face the assault just as Ino threw a punch toward his face. Naruto's left hand flew out with amazing speed stopping Ino's punch dead in its tracks. Ino's eyes flew open as Naruto's grin grew even wider as he took her wrist in his right hand and pivoted throwing Ino into a nearby tree. Ignoring the obscenities coming from the underbrush at the tree's base he turned his attention to the pink haired kunoichi behind him.

"You better help her, Sakura, looks like you two need to do some training," Naruto smirked causing Sakura's blood to boil.

Sakura accelerated toward Naruto channeling as much chakra as she could into her right fist. She closed the distance in an instant ready to deliver a deadly blow to Naruto's face. Sakura threw her fist forward with all the strength Tsunade had bestowed upon her and to her utter surprise and horror watched it connect with Naruto's face. The resulting pop and cloud of smoke only served to infuriate her more. She quickly glanced around the clearing scanning ever possible hiding spot for the blonde.

Ino managed to stumble back into the clearing just in time to see Naruto's clone pop out of existence.

"Where the fuck is he?" Ino sneered as she closed the distance between herself and Sakura.

"How the hell should I know?" Sakura retorted as she continued to scan the surrounding trees.

"Why does he have to be such an idiot?" Ino questioned as she moved to stand back to back with Sakura.

"He's testing our abilities to see what we can handle in a fight," Sakura commented as the two carefully took defensive positions.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight him, he's so fucking fast its unbelievable?" Ino asked without turning to look at her fellow kunoichi.

"He has to have a weakness everyone does," Sakura whispered as she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving through the underbrush just beyond the tree line.

"You were his teammate what always gave him trouble in training?" Ino whispered back as Sakura proceeded to gesture in the general direction of the movement.

Sakura pondered the question not really knowing what if anything had ever given Naruto problems. Sure when they were Genin everything seemed to give Naruto problems but since his first training trip with Jiraiya nothing seemed out of reach from the powerful shinobi. After all he did learn quite possibly the most difficult jutsu ever developed in a matter of weeks. Suddenly Naruto's most glaring weakness erupted through her subconscious. A small grin appeared on Sakura's lips as she turned her head slightly to inform her friend of her plan.

"We will have to chance it, lets hope he holds back," Sakura finished as she carefully began weaving a genjustu around herself and Ino.

"Don't worry Sakura I'll take him out with one attack he will never see this coming," Ino's grin grew more sinister as she began gathering the necessary chakra.

"You can't use that on him he's our friend Ino it could do irreversible damage," Sakura protested the worry evident in her voice.

"Don't worry Sakura I'm not going to use the completed version and I can fix any permanent damage, I can control the _Shinhakaishin no Justu _perfectly," Ino commented trying to actually convince herself.

"Don't fuck this up Ino or we will have a real problem on our hands," Sakura commented.

"Yeah, yeah, just make sure you hold him tight and don't look at me," Ino replied as she vanished.

'Hmm what are they up too,' Naruto mused.

From his position on a high branch Naruto watched the two women's every move waiting for them to either locate him or put some kind of plan into action.

"Shit this is boring they don't appear to be doing anything," Naruto yawned removing his eyes from the two kunoichi for just a second to watch a bird fly through the canopy.

'Fuck where did Ino go… Damn it now I'll have to make the first move,' Naruto scolded himself for letting the blond kunoichi out of his sight.

Naruto shot forward off his perch and closed the few hundred meters between himself and Sakura in an instant. She sensed him a split second to late her eyes shot open as she whipped around. Naruto threw a left hook toward the kunoichi's face hoping to distract her from the sweeping leg kick that would knock her to the ground. Naruto knew something was wrong when he felt the bones in Sakura's face break from the force of the attack. His eyes widened in utter horror as the pink haired kunoichi slumped to the ground.

"Fuck, Sakura-chan are you ok I didn't mean to…" Naruto began before two immensely powerful arms slithered their way around his body pulling him into a full nelson.

"What…" Naruto eyes refocused as the injured Sakura melted away into the ground.

"Genjustu, Naruto-_kun_ you really shouldn't have under estimated us, Sakura's voice rang though his ears as he forced chakra into his arms in a vain attempt to break the woman's hold.

"Let go of me!" Naruto screamed as Ino appeared in front of him her hands forming her family's trade mark seal.

'No it's different her pinkies are crossed in front…' Naruto didn't have time to finish his thought as his mind was flooded with images of his love ones deaths.

Searing pain shot through Naruto's head as he let out a blood curdling scream as Sakura released her hold allowing the young man to drop to his knees. He visibly shook as more images of torture, death, and rape flashed in his mind. He flailed with his hands trying to fight off the images that threatened to over take him. Suddenly he reared up throwing his hands above his head before bringing both fists back down to the hard ground. The trembling stopped as his long blond hair fell over his face as blocking the two kunoichi's view of his unfocused eyes.

Sakura eyes went wide with worry as she watched Naruto writhe in pain before he stopped moving all together. Her eyes shot to Ino whose face was one of complete disgust at what she had just done. The worry in her eyes told Sakura that she had pushed Naruto's mind too far shattering it. Her eyes refocused on Naruto as a small whining sound came from the blonde. No it wasn't a whine it was the beginnings of a laugh. The laugh grew even more sinister as the two girls looked on in horror.

"If you are going to try and destroy my mind Ino you are going to have to try harder then that," Naruto laughed as he pulled himself to his feet.

"N-No way…H-How…" Ino struggled to grasp the concept of anyone being able to withstand her family's most deadly technique.

"You know Ino that technique is pretty powerful it would have killed a normal person," Naruto's spat.

"Naruto…I'm sorr…" Ino felt Naruto's massive hand grab her head forcing it down.

Ino's head smacked against the ground causing her vision to go hazy for a moment before she felt a sickening kick land in her gut. Ino rolled to the side away from her attacker coughing up some blood as she did.

"Now where was I?" Naruto now turned his attention on Sakura.

Naruto's eyes were still veiled by his hair but the sickening grin on his face made sure Sakura knew she was about to be attacked with everything he had.

"Naruto wait we are…" Sakura started.

"You are WHAT sorry, Sakura, she could have killed me," Naruto yelled as several of the burning seals began to immerge from his bindings.

"She didn't mean too Naruto she can completely control that technique yet," Sakura managed to croak out as tears began forming in her eyes.

"So you two thought it would be a good idea to try and stop me with a technique she hasn't even mastered yet, and I am supposed to be the dumb one," Naruto coldly replied.

"We didn't have any other choice Naruto we haven't been ourselves lately… it's this mission, it is really stressing us out and we are not really thinking clearly," Sakura cried as she felt warm tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

"Do you have any idea what we might have to sacrifice for this mission?" Ino's strained voice called from behind him.

"HOW DARE YOU USE THAT WORD TO TRY AND MAKE ME FEEL SORRY FOR YOU?!" Naruto roared turning his attention once again on Ino.

He was on her in a flash curling his powerful fingers around her neck as he lifted her off the ground. His cold eyes captured Ino's making a cold shiver run up and down her spine.

"You have no right to talk to me about sacrifices Ino. Do you have any idea what I have given up to protect a village, whose inhabitants, for the majority of my life have despised me? Huh!? So tell me Ino what do you know about sacrifices? Have you ever really sacrificed anything in your life, have either of you?" Naruto hissed as he stole a quick glance at Sakura.

"I watched my teammate die in order to protect me," Ino whispered as tears began to fill her eyes.

"What!?" Naruto's grip loosened only slightly as the fact that Chouji was dead registered in her mind.

"Chouji died eight months ago Naruto, didn't Shikamaru tell you?" Sakura whispered tears still rolling down her cheeks as she fought to keep control of her emotions.

'Chouji is dead? How?' Naruto's mind worked furiously trying to process the information that one of his closest friends was gone forever.

Suddenly it made sense. Shikamaru lived alone in a two bed room apartment, Naruto had been sleeping on the couch because Shikamaru had told him to sleep there he just figured Chouji was out on a mission. Shikamaru's condition suddenly made sense as well the continuous drinking was not unlike what Naruto went through shortly after Sasuke's death.

'He must feel responsible, they both must,' Naruto's eyes softened but he did not release his hold on the now wheezing Ino.

Suddenly the rage he had felt just moments before erupted once again as he involuntarily tightened his grip around the now struggling Ino.

"Naruto let go of her now!" Sakura cried.

"Why should I we have all lost people we care about; it gives her no right to almost kill me whether it was on accident or not!" Naruto yelled his anger quickly getting out of control.

Ino was quickly losing consciousness as she struggled to make Naruto release his hold on her throat. Even the several pressure point strikes she had attempted only seemed to make his grip tighter.

Sakura sensed that if she didn't stop Naruto now he could very easily kill Ino. She watched in horror as the burning seals arced even higher almost reaching the bottom of his sleeves.

"Naruto we know you have sacrificed a lot in your life but that doesn't give you the right to believe you are the only one to have to sacrifice something dear to you to protect our home," Ino wheezed tears falling freely from her eyes.

"What have you sacrificed for Konoha huh!? Your childhood? Your entire life!?" Naruto roared tears beginning to form in his own eyes as the tragic events of this life replayed in his subconscious.

"IF WE WEREN'T WILLING TO DIE FOR KONOHA THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE BECOME SHINOBI, WE HAVE TO SACRIFICE SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT ON THIS MISSION!" Sakura screamed drawing Naruto's attention.

"AND WHAT WOULD THAT BE SAKURA! COME ON TELL ME WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT IT WOULD CAUSE YOU TO PLACE UNDER SO MUCH STRESS THAT YOU TWO ALMOST KILLED ME DURING A LITTLE SPAR!" Naruto yelled back.

"WE HAVE TO SLEEP WITH THEM TO GAIN THE INFORMATION!" Sakura cried her vain attempt to hold her tears back long since forgotten.

"What?" Naruto eyes went wide as the words registered inside his mind.

"We have to Let those… those ninja fuck us to their hearts content so we can possibly gain information on the upcoming war with the cloud!" Sakura cried as she sunk to her knees no longer holding back the cascade of tears welling up in her eyes.

Naruto whipped his head around searching for answers in Ino's pale blue eyes. The young women's eyes told him everything. He dropped the blonde kunoichi in a heap as he stumbled backward still trying to make search his way through his shattered mind hoping to find an acceptable answer.

His eyes quickly refocused on the coughing Ino the realization of what he had almost done floored him.

'Maybe I shouldn't have come back, it is getting harder to control by the day,' Naruto thought his wide eyes staring into his shaking hands.

Sakura watched as Naruto continued to retreat from Ino's recovering form. She had seen those eyes before one the day he before he left for his life and death struggle with the Kyuubi, the day he had hurt her.

Naruto collapsed to the ground wrapping his arms around his legs and pulling them close to him. He wanted to run, he needed to get away he couldn't face them now not after what he had just done. He was supposed to be their escort for Kami's sake and he had almost killed one of them because he couldn't control the rage seeded deep with in him.

Sakura moved quickly to Ino's side wanting to check on her best friend's condition but keeping her eyes locked on Naruto's startled form. She fell to one knee as she pulled the still shaking Ino onto her back only to reveal Ino's eyes filled with tears.

Ino desperately tried to keep the tears from falling. She had to be strong she was a Jounin she should know better then to show emotion while on a mission. But the fact was, she thought she was going to die, for a brief second she had felt the infinite rage that was buried deep inside Naruto and it horrified her.

"Ino breathe your going to be fine," Sakura reassured her shaken friend.

"Ino I'm… I'm… Sorry," was all Naruto managed to get out due to his shaken state.

"Naruto…?" Ino wheezed her throat muscles still sore from the extreme amount of pressure Naruto's grip had placed on them.

"I'm sorry," her statement shocked him.

She was apologizing to him after he had almost killed her. The tears were free flowing now as Naruto buried his face into his forearms. He shook violently as his crying intensified.

"Sa…ku…ra…chan, I...no…chan… why?" Naruto choked out.

Sakura stared at him while helping Ino sit up, she began applying some healing chakra around Ino's neck. The pain instantly began to die down as Ino turned her attention on the still shaking form of Naruto.

"Why…did you accept this mission?" Naruto questioned his breathing finally coming back under control.

"We had no choice Naruto. There was no one else to send," Ino replied.

'Why them?' Naruto yelled the question into his subconscious.

He pulled him self to his feet still not fully recovered from the fit he had just experienced. His mind searched for the answers to so many questioned but his subconscious offered little responses. Sakura stared into his deep blue eyes searching for that spark that had been evident only a few hours ago but found his eyes empty drowned in a sadness nothing seemed to be able to penetrate.

Despite the fact that Jiraiya was a pervert Naruto had learned quite a bit about women from the older man. The fact was that Jiraiya loved women, everything about them. And despite the fact that Jiraiya was womanizer in every aspect of the word he still respected them to a point even Naruto some times found a bit ludicrous. He explained to Naruto one night on their first training trip the importance of a women's innocence, that it was not something to taken but given. Jiraiya had explained in details of the special jounin training every kunoichi had to take. The idea had sickened him then but now that it was happening to two of his precious people he found the thought down right revolting.

Still he didn't want to believe the awful truth the two young women in front of him where facing. He had killed men for less then what they were going to do too his friends and it made him deep down despise himself for calling himself a man. He couldn't explain the new emotion that seemed to spark deep with in his self conscious but as it grew he recognized it as pure hatred. He hated these men and he didn't even know them.

The emotion was some what strange to Naruto he had never really experienced this extent of pure hatred. Only the members of Akatsuki and that Kabuto Orochimaru half breed that had attacked him a few years ago came close. Everyone else had either been trying to hurt his friends or trying to hurt someone he viewed as unable to protect themselves. He still wasn't sure where Sasuke fit, at times he would think back and feel nothing but anger toward the fallen Uchiha then again other times he could feel nothing but sadness and pain at the death of his best friend and brother. He couldn't allow this to happen; he wouldn't allow this to happen.

Sakura and Ino watched Naruto carefully as he inhaled and exhaled deeply trying to calm himself down. The seals had slowly begun to retreat down his arms as he clenched his teeth trying to ignore the pain now shooting through his body. Slowly he brought himself back under control. Rising carefully seemingly unsure if he could really support himself with his shaken legs he seemed to gather himself.

"Let's get going," Naruto spoke his voice still showing some signs of his previous distress.

"Naruto you are going the wrong way," Sakura announced as the blond jinchuuriki gathered his crimson cape and walked away.

"We are going back," Naruto insisted not able to bring himself to look at them.

"Naruto we can't do that," Ino' voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"There is no need for this mission," Naruto's voice quivered slightly as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

"If we don't do this people could die Naruto, we can't have that on our conscience," Sakura retorted.

"I can't let you do this," Naruto almost cried.

"You don't have a choice Naruto. Your job is to make sure we make it back alive that is it," Sakura continued.

"No, you don't understand I can't let you do this!" shouted Naruto as he turned to face them allowing them to observe the tears rolling down his whiskered cheeks.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"Kami… Haven't I suffered enough for everyone?!" Naruto shouted throwing his fists against the ground.

"Naruto what are you saying?" Ino questioned.

"My suffering has meant nothing if I can't protect the people I care about…the people I…love…"

"Naruto…" Ino whispered her own tears fresh on her face.

"Naruto its time you let someone protect you," Sakura whispered.

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto choked through the tears.

"We have to do this, Naruto, for you as much as we have to do it for Konoha," Sakura answered.

"Come on Naruto lets get moving we will have to push ourselves to make it to our planned camping site in time to set up before night fall," Ino voiced giving Naruto a rather empty grin.

'You can't fool me Ino I know you really don't want to do this even if you say it is necessary,' Naruto thought as he looked right through her grin.

The next couple of hours went by like an eternity for the three Konoha shinobi. Every step seemed to bring them all closer to a destination as unwanted as the cold rain that had just begun falling on them. Naruto lagged behind consumed in his own thoughts.

'How…how can they do this are they really that strong…?' Naruto mused as she stared at the backs of the two kunoichi who were leading him to what he could only describe as hell.

"Naruto!" Ino shouted as she smacked him on the back of his head.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed.

"We are setting up camp Naruto did you bring your tent?" Sakura questioned as she rummaged through her backpack before producing a tan tent.

"Well…You…See…" Naruto stuttered as he rubbed the back off his head sheepishly.

"You didn't bring it did you baka?" Ino sighed.

"I don't need one anyway I enjoy sleeping outside," Naruto huffed.

"It is raining Naruto," Sakura announced.

"Really didn't notice," Naruto grinned.

"Fine you can sleep out side," Sakura snapped back.

"Huh!? Come on Sakura-chan, Ino-chan help me out here," Naruto pleaded.

"It is only a two person tent so unless you intend to sleep on top of one of us then you are going to have to sleep outside," Ino shrugged.

Naruto's jaw almost hit the ground at the very thought of what Ino had just suggested. Sakura was in just as much shock as Naruto as she wondered when Ino would realize what she had just implied.

Ino searched Sakura's face wondering why the pink haired kunoichi was blushing slightly. Her mind seemed to be screaming at her telling her she was forgetting something. The words replayed in her head as her gaze fell on a rather dumbstruck, blushing Naruto.

"YOU PERVERT!" Ino screamed as her fist collided with Naruto's face sending the blonde shinobi screaming toward the nearest tree line.

Ino huffed as she stormed away to set some traps leaving a rather awestruck Sakura and a beaten Naruto behind. Naruto lay in a heap several yards away wondering what had just happened.

'I really don't understand women,' he thought to himself as he pulled himself up to a sitting position.

The rest of the evening went by rather smoothly thanks to the rain stopping. Ino seemed to have forgotten her rage by the time she returned from setting the traps. Sakura was busy tending to the fire and cooking some simple meals for the three of them to eat before turning in for the night. Naruto kept himself busy by gathering some firewood and refilling their canteens from a nearby stream before settling down next to the fire to await his dinner.

They ate in relative silence both women wondering about Naruto's newly acquired lack of appetite but they both decided not the question it.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan that really hit the spot," Naruto grinned as he patted himself on the stomach before rolling over to rummage through his bag for something.

"Your welcome Naruto," Sakura gave him a small sad smile back.

'He seems to be back to his old self at the moment,' she added to herself.

'**He is still acting weird and you know it,**' Inner Sakura interrupted.

"I'm going to bed night you two," Ino yawned as she gave Sakura a wink as she pulled back the flap to the tent before retreating inside.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Sakura questioned as she watched the fire dance.

"I guess I haven't been very forth coming, huh?" Naruto grinned as he lay back hoping to catch a glimpse of some stars in the cloudy sky.

"Why didn't Ino's technique affect you?" Sakura questioned.

"I think that is a question best left for another night Sakura-chan," Naruto retorted closing his eyes in a vain attempt to appear to fall asleep.

"Why won't you tell me we have been friends forever Naruto why don't you trust me?" Sakura's concerned eyes searched Naruto's still form as the shadows from the fire danced across his blonde hair.

"I do trust you Sakura, it just that I'm not comfortable talking about it, to anyone," Naruto responded opening his eyes to look at her.

"What are you afraid of?" Sakura whispered.

"My self," Naruto whispered.

"What?" Sakura questioned.

"I promise Sakura when this is all over I will tell you everything," Naruto commented wanting to end this conversation before he could no longer hide his tears.

"Naruto… I'm just worried about you," Sakura commented giving him a quick smile.

"You should worry about yourself right now, Sakura-chan," Naruto commented.

"Yeah I guess I should…" Sakura looked away as she turned to enter the tent where Ino was sleeping.

"Night Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered as he threw his cape around himself and leapt up into a tree.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura questioned.

"I'm sleeping up here for the night don't worry I do it all the time," Naruto answered his cape flowed around him as he stood looking at the night sky.

"We could probably all fit in the tent what if it rains again?" Sakura questioned the slight blush on her face hidden by the dark shadows darkness.

"Sakura…" he turned his head to look at her, to watch how the fire made her eyes sparkle, "I'm not really tired I just need some time alone… to think about… things," he replied as he slumped down against the tree's trunk.

"Are you sure Naruto?" Sakura finally relented after staring at his shrouded form for several seconds.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan I'll see you in the morning," Naruto tilted his head slightly to watch her pull open the flap to the tent before closing it again.

He broke down almost immediately he couldn't help it the more he tried to keep the tears from falling the more they poured out. He pushed himself hard to put some much needed distance between himself and the sleeping kunoichi.

'God damn it, why," Naruto threw himself down several hundred yards away from the camp site.

He stared at his own hands still covered in the blood of so many people that he could never seem to wash it off. Their faces still haunted his dreams, but one face always was there every time he closed his eyes. Those crimson orbs stared back at him seemingly cursing him for taking away their reason to live. But it all seemed worst now he was supposed to be able to protect his friends but now when two of them needed him the most he seemed powerless to stop the inevitable. He hated it, for all his power, after all the training, that he couldn't simply prevent this from happening. What made it worse was it was his fault, if he had been stronger he could have prevented all of this, he could have controlled the Kyuubi from the beginning and prevented this foolish war.

Slowly he made his way back to the camp site noticing the fire was no longer burning but the red hot embers provided all the illumination he needed. Pushing some chakra into his legs he propelled himself up into a near by tree carefully positioning himself to where he could clearly see the sleeping forms of his teammates inside the slightly illuminated tent.

The cool breeze bit at his face as he settled in for the cold night ahead wondering what tomorrow would bring. Pulling his knees close to his chest he took one last look at the sleeping kunoichi inside the tent before dropping his face into the collar of his cape. Slowly his eyes began to close as his mind beckoned him to another night of endless nightmares. His last thoughts before descending to his own personal hell where about the two kunoichi he was charged with protecting.

'I will save them from this, I will not allow this to happen even if it means using that technique,' he mused as his tired mind gave way to his sleeping demons.

A/N: Please review. I promise I will try and write the next few chapters in short order to make up for the month or so I took off. The next couple of chapters will continue to be about Naruto's, Sakura's, and Ino's trip to the village in the land of Lightning. Thanks again for taking the time to read and review.

Justu List:

_Shinhakaishin no Justu_: Mind Destruction Jutsu (Original)

I made this jutsu up because I thought Ino needed a more powerful attack then her normal mind jutsu. This attack requires a lot of chakra hence Ino's inability to control it completely. It can be used to either capture an opponent by rendering them unconscious or kill them by completely shattering their mind.

I'm not really sure if I did the translation right so if anyone knows how to actually do that it would be greatly appreciated if you could help me out.

Next Chapter: Passion


	8. Chapter 8: Passion

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Once again thanks for all the reviews they really make it a lot easier to write this story. Even though some of the reviews were more like threats then reviews but whatever.

One thing I would like to comment on is the review about real kunoichi posing as Geisha to get information out of their enemies. But Sakura and Ino aren't posing as Geisha, they are posing as prostitutes, well they aren't really posing if they get paid but whatever. There is a reason why Naruto can't just make two clones and henge them to look like Sakura and Ino because it takes too much chakra to do that. If Karin can detect small amount of chakra such as Kage Bushins then there is no reason to believe that other ninja in the world can not do the same. That being said powerful genjustu are out as well. Sakura and Ino because of their incredible control over their chakra will be able to use some techniques because they can keep their chakra levels relatively low. No such luck for Naruto because of this abnormal amount of chakra to begin with.

In this story male ninja will have more chakra then female ninja in most cases, obviously male Genin are not going to have more chakra then Sakura or Ino. Let's just say that all the male members of Naruto's generation have more chakra then the female members of the generation but the females have vastly better control over their chakra. Checks and balances while Naruto and the guys may be more fitted to direct combat, Sakura and the girls are more fitted to infiltration and support type roles. That is not saying that Sakura or Ino cannot defeat some of the guys in their generation though.

Any way on with the story if there are any questions about this send me a message and I'll be happy to explain this further.

One a side not for those who read the magna. HOW BADASS IS JIRIAYA? Sorry about that but he is growing on me as a character now since this whole ark has been practically devoted to him.

I also want to say for those of you who read the magna that I know some events may cause this story to no longer be a plausible continuation. But I will still right it as if those events did not happen.

Enjoy the Chapter.

"**Bold" Inner Sakura (No Kyuubi anymore kind of…)**

**Chapter 8: Passion**

Ino awoke to the dawn light quickly noticing the sudden drop in temperature the cold front following the rain had caused. Shrugging out of her sleeping bag she noticed her pink haired friend had yet to awaken.

'Where is Naruto? Don't tell me he slept outside in this weather,' Ino thought as she quickly began rummaging through her pack looking for the cold weather gear she had brought.

Dressing quickly Ino opened the flap of the tent to check on her fellow blonde.

"Sn...ow…" Ino stuttered as she glanced around the camp site now covered by a blanket of snow.

"Ino? What is going on out there?" Sakura's voiced called from behind the tent's flap.

"It snowed during the night and I don't see Naruto anywhere," Ino shouted back.

"What he could have frozen at this temperature!" Sakura screamed as she burst through the tent's entrance.

"Can you two keep it down I'm not a morning person," a deep voice called down from the canopy of the forest.

The two kunoichi's gaze followed the voice to the still slumped form of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto are you ok?" Ino questioned.

"Of course did you honestly think I would come unprepared for the cold?" Naruto questioned not bothering to lift his head to dislodge the inch of snow that sat atop his thick blonde hair.

'Yeah we did,' Sakura mused.

"Come on Naruto lets get going we have to make it to those mountains by tonight," Sakura shouted as she reentered the tent to pack her belongings.

"Naruto want to help me disarm all of the traps I set up last night?" Ino questioned hoping to get out of some of the work.

"Already done, just because I'm not a morning person doesn't mean I haven't been up for a couple hours.

"But you're covered in snow," Ino retorted.

"I took them down during the night and came back here to wait for you two to wake up," Naruto responded finally shaking the snow out of his hair before standing.

Ino watched as the folds of his cloak fell aside revealing his all black garb. His black wraps now extended all the way up his arms and from the looks of things now covered his entire upper body as his neck was now tightly wrapped to keep the biting cold away. The crimson ribbon seemed to be the only thing that remained visible from his previous outfit never leaving his right bicep as it swayed in the cold morning breeze.

Naruto also notice his female companion had adopted cold weather changes to her normal outfit. Ino seemed to have reapplied the bindings she had worn as a genin covering her entire midriff and her once exposed thighs. Her knee high black boots came up to where her bindings ended allowing her legs complete protection from the wind and snow. Her once bare arms now sported a tight form fitting black long sleeve fishnet shirt.

Just as Naruto was finishing noticing the subtle changes too Ino's outfit Sakura reappeared from the tent her pink hair offsetting the white around her. For the most part Sakura's cold weather gear didn't differ that much from Ino's they both still wore their same outer wear that he was accustomed too but their bear skin was now for the most part covered in bindings or long sleeves.

'Beautiful,' Naruto's mind wondered as the realized the how much the two young women stood out from the pristine snow covered forest.

He allowed his mind to wonder to places he seemed to have long since forgotten. For just a moment it didn't seem like he was really leading the two of them to a fate he considered worst the death. They both held a strange power of him, he seemed to be able to forget all the problems he had ever face and all the pain seemed to fade away when they were around. It just seemed right when they were near him.

Realizing they needed to get moving Naruto crossed his fingers in front of him forming the seal to the technique that had kept him alive for so long. With out so much as a whisper two Kage Bushins popped into existence and set about packing up the camp.

"Lets get going they will finish up here and catch up with us," Naruto announced as he dropped to the ground.

"You're going to just leave them here?" Ino questioned still not quite used to Naruto's mastery of the Kage Bushin.

"He doesn't need to give them instructions Ino he never has," Sakura quickly explained giving Naruto a small grin which he decided to return.

The three Konoha ninja vanished as the two Kage Bushins continued their work packing the tent up. Impressively Ino and Sakura kept pace with Naruto's daunting pace. He glanced over his shoulder from time to time to ensure neither of them was having trouble keeping up with him.

He notice their moods change as they raced further from their home and closer to what he could only describe as a living hell. Slowly he watched as their spirits fell with each step. He considered slowing down wishing he could prolong their trip for even a few more seconds but he couldn't they had a time line to keep and they had to reach the border lands between the Fire and Cloud countries before night fall. This would be their last night in the Fire country and he wanted to make it a special night for the two kunoichi who he was charged with protecting.

'For one night I will give them the man they knew back,' Naruto's fists clenched as he thought about what they all were about to face.

Sakura had noticed the slight change in Naruto's attitude since they had told him all the aspects of the mission she and Ino were assigned too. She knew how much this was affecting him whether he would ever tell them or not it didn't matter. His eyes the night before had told her everything.

'You can't hide behind your mask anymore Naruto,' Sakura mused as she watched the man in front of her battle with his internal demons.

'**He can't protect us from everything can he?**' Inner Sakura sighed.

'No… He can't and it's killing him,' Sakura replied.

'**That still doesn't explain why he won't talk to us,**' Inner Sakura fumed.

'At some time he will have to face us and tell us everything. If he keeps holding everything in it will destroy him," Sakura concluded.

'**You better hurry before the Pig takes the only chance you have,**' Inner Sakura schemed.

'He would never look at Ino that way, especially not while were on this mission,' Sakura argued.

'**Oh and why is that because he is supposed to be completely devoted to you and only you?**' Inner Sakura questioned.

Sakura's inner self knew exactly what buttons to push. Did she really feel that way? Had she really begun to think of Naruto as a safety blanket? The man that would always be there for her no matter how many times she ignored him or shrugged off his affection. She didn't think of him like that she couldn't feel that way about him.

'I don't feel that way, I can't feel that way,' Sakura replied.

'**But that is not really what's bothering you is it?**' Inner Sakura probed.

'No…' Sakura replied.

'**What is really bothering you is that he isn't acting like the Naruto we both know, he is acting more like him…**' Inner Sakura whispered.

'But the old Naruto is still in there I've seen it,' Sakura reasoned

'**You know the answer…**' Inner Sakura replied.

'It is like he doesn't want to open up to me or even Ino for that matter,' Sakura thought.

'**He is protecting you…**' Inner Sakura answered.

'From what?' Sakura questioned.

'**From being hurt…**' Inner Sakura sighed.

'From being hurt, why would he think talking to me would end up hurting me?' Sakura questioned.

'**Because he loves you,**' Inner Sakura said the words startled Sakura.

'But he can't not after all this time… not after all I have put him through,' Sakura whispered.

'**You know he loves you he always has and deep down you know you feel the same way,**' Inner Sakura said.

'I don't love him!' Sakura screamed into her head.

'**Don't lie to yourself, when you first realized what this mission would entail you lost all hope. But the second he stepped through that door back in Tsunade-sama's office you let a faint glimmer of hope back in didn't you?**" Inner Sakura questioned tired of her outer self's denial.

'I…' Sakura thought hard not wanting to give in to the realization of just what kind of feelings she really had for the blond shinobi.

'**You waited for him, not because you couldn't find someone else but because you didn't want to find some one else to love,**' Inner Sakura continued, '**You know he is the only one you have ever truly loved and what did it take for you to realize it? Him ready to put his own happiness beneath yours… ready die for you so you wouldn't have to feel any more pain…again!**' Her inner self screamed.

'Shut up,' Sakura whispered in response fresh tears filling her emerald eyes.

'**Why because you don't want to hear the truth?**' Inner Sakura screamed.

'I don't deserve it,' Sakura admitted.

'**No, you don't but he loves you anyway and you keep running away from him. So how are you any different from Sasuke?**' Inner Sakura threw her trump card.

The realization hit Sakura causing her to almost lose her footing on a tree limb. Just in time for the two Kage Bushin to reappear beside her. She marveled at how independent they were from the real Naruto that was slowing his pace slightly to allow them to catch up. She reached a shaking hand out to one of them offering to take the pack from him. The Kage Bushin gave her a small smile before throwing the pack up to Naruto who added the heavy pack to his own on his back. Sakura gave a questioning stare to the Kage Bushin as if it was the real thing. Giving a quick wave the two Kage Bushin disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"Sakura-chan? Are you ok?" Naruto questioned, as the Kage Bushin's memory shot through his mind, slowing his pace to fall along side her.

"I'm fine Naruto…really," Sakura replied giving him a small fake smile.

He sent a worried glance over his shoulder Ino's way not buying the fact she was fine for even a second. Ino shrugged and pushed more chakra into her legs in order to catch up to her two companions. One look at Sakura told her that she was anything from fine, maybe it was that she had finally realized just what they were all facing.

Naruto continued to slow the pace until they had to drop to the forest floor in order to walk since they could no longer make the jumps from tree to tree at their speed. Sakura's condition had worsened the slower they traveled.

"Naruto go check the surrounding area I'll calm Sakura down," Ino practically ordered the large blond away.

Nodding and taking one last concerned look at the now sobbing form of Sakura he disappeared into the canopy.

"Sakura calm down, shhh, it is going to be fine," Ino comforted the crying pink haired kunoichi.

"W…Why?" Sakura choked out.

"Why what Sakura?" Ino questioned looking into her red, tear filled eyes.

"Why would he do this for us?" Sakura questioned.

"That is a question for the ages, if I pretended to understand all the reasons Uzumaki Naruto does what he does people would think I'm insane," Ino sighed.

"Yeah… I guess that's true," Sakura giggled whipping the tears away from her eyes.

"But if you want a better answer then why don't you ask him yourself, and why your at it ask him why he is being so weird around us," Ino lectured giving a the surrounding trees an annoyed look.

"I just wish he would open up and be like the old Naruto," Sakura hiccupped as the last of her tears began to dry on her face.

"Huh? Are you upset because he hasn't asked you on a date yet?" Ino giggled.

"H…Huh!? Why would I be upset about that?" Sakura stuttered turning her head to hide the blush she knew was evident on her cheeks.

"Holy Shit you are!" Ino laughed.

"Shut up Ino-pig you're just mad because he never has asked you on one!" Sakura shot back.

"That's because I wouldn't be caught dead with him, Fore-head girl!" Ino grinned.

"That's not what you were thinking back in the hospital," Sakura grinned.

"Same goes for you," Ino huffed knowing Sakura had won but still feeling the need to get the last word.

Their argument over both Sakura and Ino were left in their own conflicting thoughts about their young blonde protector. Neither of them could hide from each other their physical attraction to the young man but they both found it hard to believe any women wouldn't find Naruto in some way attractive.

"You two okay?" Naruto's voice startled them out of their thoughts.

"Oh, yeah Naruto we're fine," Sakura snapped out trying to hide the blush on her cheeks from staring up into Naruto's deep blue eyes as he hung from the underside of a nearby branch.

"You sure?" Naruto dropped down so he could look at the two women on the same level.

"We're good to go Naruto," Ino smiled avoiding eye contact all together.

"Well if you're sure let's get going," Naruto suggested as he shot up into the canopy of the surrounding fur trees.

Naruto curiously glanced over his shoulder hoping to read the two young women's faces. They both seemed too wrapped up in their own thoughts to even notice he was giving them both a once over. The only thing he could tell was Sakura, whom a couple of minutes ago seemed inconsolable, now seemed perfectly fine or as fine as he expected her to be now knowing the full aspects of the mission the two kunoichi faced.

'Women…' Naruto shook his head remembering that Jiraiya had told him long ago he didn't understand a women's heart.

'Probably never will either…huh…Ero-sennin?' Naruto grinned.

His eyes hardened as he resumed their dreadful course, pushing more chakra into his legs he propelled himself toward their destination now matter how much it pained him to do it.

'When this is over, they will all die, I swear it,' Naruto thoughts were echoed in his eyes as they flashed crimson.

Sakura and Ino felt the chakra surge and both immediately looked up at Naruto who had unknowingly increased his pace again. They both noticed the young man's hands balled into tight fists.

'Naruto…' Ino mused as she continued to stare at the man that had some how become so important in her life.

The three Konoha shinobi flew through the northern forests of the Fire country at near suicidal speed. Naruto seemed to be intent on reaching a certain village near the border that he had shown Sakura and Ino on the map during when of their few breaks.

"Naruto why is it so important for us to reach this village we can sleep in the woods again, Ino called up toward the blonde leading them through the canopy.

"I stayed here a couple of times with Ero-Sennin when I was on my first training trip. It is a really good spot to rest up and have a couple of drinks," Naruto replied not wanting to give away his plans.

"Besides Ino if we get there tonight we can sleep in and take our time before to reach our destination in the Lighting country," Sakura agreed earning her a look from Ino.

Naruto knew he was going to regret the decision he had made last night but he had questions for the two kunoichi following him as well. Questions he needed answered for reasons he didn't quite understand. He quickly felt for his frog wallet one of the few hold overs from his younger days. Giving it a good squeeze put his mind at ease realizing he would have just enough cash for what he was planning. A mischievous grin settled on his face as he caught the slight smell of sulfur in his nostrils.

"Naruto why are we stopping?" Sakura questioned as the blond dropped to the forest floor several miles from the village.

"I'm going to go have a look around the village and you two need to wait here," Naruto replied.

The comment got him two questioning looks.

"Look if what Ero-Sennin is true there could very well be some missing nins disguised in the village and if they would happen to see you they may send word back to the Cloud, which could cause problems for us down the road," Naruto explained.

'Hell it is as good of an excuse as any,' he commented to himself.

"Nice try Naruto," Sakura grinned.

Naruto stared at her wondering what the hell she was going on about.

"We are teammates on this mission Naruto," Ino interjected.

"Yeah and it is my job to protect you," Naruto argued.

"We are supposed to protect each other Naruto what happens if you get ambushed in that village?" Sakura questioned.

"I can handle it, Sakura," Naruto sighed.

"You don't know that even the most skilled shinobi can be caught unawares," Sakura scolded.

"Yeah, Naruto what if you get injured or something," Ino added on.

"Well at least I would have two of the _best_ medic nins in the world to heal me," Naruto replied sarcastically earning him a playful punch on the top of his head from Sakura.

"Don't be a smart ass," she scolded.

"I'll be fine I promise," Naruto defended.

"We are coming with you and that is final," Ino sighed.

"Fine!" Naruto huffed as he mumbled a few more choice words as he turned and began walking toward the village.

Naruto moved slowly, sulking as he tried to work out a new plan in his head.

'They have to ruin everything. Honestly, you try to do something nice and surprise someone, but nooo,' Naruto mused.

His inner frustration was also noticeable to the two kunoichi who were following closely behind him. The two women smiled triumphantly as the man in front of them huffed and sighed, sometimes even moving his hands in extravagant patterns to emphasize his annoyance.

As much as Naruto had wanted to keep his plan a surprise until he came back and brought them to the village. The thought of their faces when they saw what he had in store for them brought a small mischievous grin to his features. When he was younger the pranks he had pulled were solely for the attention he gained from them afterward but now the look that would appear on the two young women's faces was going to be the best part. Slowly he looked back over his left shoulder. The two women's eyes immediately locked onto his as they noticed his growing grin.

'He is planning something,' Sakura gulped quite aware of some of Naruto's more devious plans she had been roped into helping with when they were Genin.

Ino looked over too Sakura and shrugged wondering what was going on. The sudden change in Naruto's attitude had thrown her for a loop. One minute he was sulking about having to take them along on his scouting mission into the village the next he was grinning at them like he had put an eraser above the door to their classroom when they were academy students. His slightly elongated canines shown a pure white as the sun from the snow reflected off them.

Naruto moved carefully on to the road that leads to the village outskirts he was on high alert his heightened senses picking over ever detail of his surroundings. The two women appeared out of the underbrush right behind him earning them both a defeated look and a sigh.

"You could at least let me do my job," Naruto sighed.

"Naruto stop worrying so much we are still well with in the Fire country," Ino retorted.

Naruto sighed and turned toward the village wondering just what he had got him self into. The village came into view several moments later appearing out of the steam that arouse from its various hot springs. The village was rather smaller then Sakura or Ino had imagined it being. There was really only one main road with several side streets were they assumed the residents made their homes.

Naruto eyed each door way carefully fully aware that at anytime they could be attacked by a rouge ninja. Several tea houses lined the sides of the main street as the three Konoha shinobi filled through the fairly deserted street. There was even a ramen stand that Naruto gave a longing look at before glancing over his shoulder at two angry looking women who wanted no part of the man's ramen plans.

"Where are we going Naruto?" Ino questioned as she increased her pace until she was at the young man's side.

"We're almost there now Ino-_chan_," he replied, his over emphasis of the suffix sent shivers up her spine.

Sakura's rumblings caused Naruto to glance back at the pink haired kunoichi but she managed to catch her self and gave Naruto a small smile. Naruto shrugged and continued walking a pleased grin plastered on his face.

"Naruto there is no way we can afford to stay here!?" Sakura blurted out.

Both women stood flabbergasted as they stared up at the only two story building in the small village. The hot springs behind the resort caused an eerie mist to fall around the structure. But the building was expertly made unlike most of the other building in the town it was easily an expensive resort that had been at the location long before the hastily built village grew around it feeding off its economic power.

"Who said you were paying for it?" Naruto grinned as took a step toward the door only to be stopped but Sakura's hand on his shoulder.

"You don't need to do this," Sakura whispered.

"Do what?" Naruto replied attempting to hide his obvious emotions.

"Sakura is right Naruto, we can find some where more affordable to stay the night," Ino interjected.

"Well if you guys want to stay some place else you can but I'm going in there and renting two room for the night whether you guys come or not," Naruto announced as he entered the establishment.

The two kunoichi were left to stare up at the hot spring resort as the cold wind blew around them. The two women entered just in time to see Naruto throw an obscene amount of cash down of the counter.

"I'm sorry sir, but two rooms is almost twice this amount. We had to raise our prices last year to keep up with expenditures. There are rumors about a coming war between several of the large nations and it has put a damper on the economy around here," The clerk announced as he counted the jumbled mess of bills and coins.

"Too bad Naruto, not even you have enough cash to cover this place," Ino grinned ready to bask in her and Sakura's victory.

"One room please, make it a double for the ladies," Naruto replied to the clerk as he pushed some of the money back toward the man.

The two women were in shock. The thought of sharing a hotel room with a man was a little foreign to them, never mind the mission at hand. The thought of sharing a hotel room with Naruto seemed impossible seeing as they both knew how the other felt about the powerful blonde.

"Wait just a minute Naruto were are you going to sleep," Sakura questioned.

"Oh, I'm sure I can find some place," Naruto replied giving her an evil grin as he snatched the room key from the man behind the counter and tossed it to Ino.

Both women blushed as Naruto laughed enjoying his new found power over them. But that quickly came to end when he realized in a matter of hours they would know what he had tried so hard to keep a secret. Sakura and Ino pushed past him avoiding eye contact as they passed and headed up the stairs.

"Lucky bastard," the clerks whispers were easily heard by the three trained ninja causing Naruto's chakra to spike to a point were even a normal person could feel it.

His crystal blue eyes seemed to drill the clerk into the wall behind him as he played with a kunai in clear view of the man.

"The hot spring is open for your enjoyment though there are no other guests at the time being," the clerk quickly responded quickly turning away from Naruto's piercing gaze.

The two girls both grinned at the sudden increase of chakra and didn't even bother to look back as they continued to climb the stairs to their room.

"Holy shit!" Sakura mouth almost hit the floor as she stared into the double room that the three ninja would be sharing for the night.

Ino immediately fell down on the closest bed to the door allowing her body to blend into the soft mattress. She sighed happily knowing how much better her night's sleep would be in the comfort of the resort then camping out in the wilderness.

Even Naruto allowed himself a genuine smile as he entered the room. He headed to the far corner where he released the clasps that held his cape around his shoulders allowing the piece of heavy crimson cloth to fall to the ground. He didn't notice or didn't care about the two pairs of eyes that watched his movements with fascination. Next the sword that he carried was placed leaning against the wall within easy reach.

He worked quickly pulling off his fish net t-shirt to begin working on the bindings that covered his upper body. Releasing the bindings around his neck he began to unwind the black straps from his body carefully rolling the pieces of thick material and placing them beside his ninjato. The two pairs of eyes traced his lean muscles as they contracted under his nearly flawless skin.

Sakura's and Ino's eyes widened as the bindings fell away from his right side revealing a horrendous scar that covered the majority of his upper back. Sakura instantly knew what the scar was only that technique could cause such a scar the way the skin around the wound had cracked and burnt as the electricity dug deeper into man's flesh.

"Naruto what is that scar from?" Sakura almost tackled Ino as she asked the question.

"Huh? Oh this?" Naruto asked as he turned slightly to face them tracing the borders of the wound with his left hand, "A reminder, Ino, that's all."

"Of what?" Ino questioned ignoring Sakura darting nervous eyes.

"Of my own weakness," Naruto answered quickly returning to his work as the last of the training straps fell to the floor.

As Naruto finished his task he picked up his fish net t-shirt and pulled it over his wild blonde hair.

"I'm going to get some food I'll see you two later," Naruto whispered as he disappeared out the door.

"Nice going dumb ass," Sakura spit out.

"What are you talking about Fore-head?" Ino questioned.

"You couldn't tell!?" Sakura responded.

"Couldn't tell what?" Ino asked.

"That scar was clearly made by a Lightning based jutsu," Sakura helped her friend along.

"Oh shit… You mean?" Ino stuttered.

"Yes, Sasuke gave him that scar," Sakura answered.

Naruto swirled the sake around in the glass wondering what he was doing in this hotel with Sakura and Ino.

'We should have just camped out again tonight, I'm putting them in jeopardy by having them stay here," Naruto mused to himself as his keen ears heard the two women begin their way down that steps toward the hot springs.

"Might as well get this over with," Naruto whispered to himself as he emptied the half full glass of sake into his throat.

"This feels great," Sakura exclaimed as she leaned back allowing the hot water to envelop her body up to her chin.

"You said it," Ino replied as she sunk deeper into the water.

They cold air made the hot springs all that more enjoyable as the two kunoichi breathed in the crisp night air. The cloudy sky from the morning had cleared up now revealing a bright full moon that illuminated the two women bathing in the warm water. Sakura leaned back resting her head on the tall wooden wall that separated the female and male sides of the spring. Suddenly a small splash from the other side announced Naruto's presence.

Naruto submerged his lean body into the hot water allowing the heat to relax his tense muscles. He made his way slowly around the shallow pool until he came to the wooden wall that separated the two sides of the hot spring. Letting out a sigh, he allowed his legs to slip out from under him until his head and back leaned against the short oak wall.

From this spot his enhanced sense could easily pick up the light splashes of the two women on the other side of the wall. Suddenly Naruto regretted not having a few more rounds at the resorts bar before deciding to confront Sakura and Ino.

'At least it won't be face to face,' some forgotten part of his psyche announced.

"So…" Naruto searched for the right words to begin a conversation he never really wanted to start.

Sakura's and Ino's attention immediately fell on the deep voice coming from the other side of the wall.

"Quite the predicament we have found ourselves in, huh?" Naruto began in an uneasy voice not completely convinced in the words he had chosen.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that Naruto…" Sakura replied unsure what exactly to make of the situation Naruto was pulling her and Ino into.

"Naruto, there is something I have wanted to ask you for a while now," Ino announced earning her a foreboding look from Sakura.

Several seconds crawled by as the two women waited for the blonde shinobi's response.

Taking Naruto's silence as an invitation to continue Ino did just that, "How did you manage to fight off my jutsu; I mean I used enough chakra that it should have…" Ino trailed off her eyes suddenly downcast.

"Kill me?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes…" Ino whispered.

She hadn't wanted to admit that to Sakura or Naruto, even though she knew they both knew it was true. She had just wanted to prove to Naruto that she was every bit as powerful as Sakura was. She didn't want to come in second place and if she couldn't be better then Sakura the she at least wanted to be on equal footing with her.

On the other side of the wall Naruto was almost in shock. The apprehension he felt when Ino hand begun her questioning had been blown away by what she had asked. He was sure that the girls' first questions were going to be about the seals which now errantly adorn his forearms.

"Your jutsu causes your opponent's mind to be part under so much stress that it eventually destroys itself correct?" Naruto questioned finally composing himself to respond.

"Yes, but that doesn't explain how your mind could resist it," Ino answered.

"The _Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu_ isn't forbidden just because of the extreme chakra fatigue from creating all those clones," Naruto explained. "Every time I create a clone it causes part of my mind to become independent in order to control the clone's body and allow it to move independently. Eventually creating more and more clones can cause permanent damage to your mind."

"But Kakashi-sensei used _Kage Bushins _all the time, hell even I have used them once or twice," Sakura interrupted.

"A regular person's mind can usually reconnect to the pieces of their psyche that has become independent even it, like Kakashi-sensei, they use several _Kage Bushins_. But unfortunately when you get into the hundreds and thousands of clones the damage is a bit more permanent," Naruto explained.

"So that's why your mind was so disheveled back when I gave you your mental exam," Ino commented.

"Well that is half of it," Naruto sighed suddenly realizing he was about to reveal a much darker secret.

"What do you mean that is only half of it?" Sakura questioned.

Part of Sakura wanted to jump the short oak wall and talk to Naruto face to face consequences be damned. But her more logical side told her to stay but that didn't stop her emerald eyes from attempting to find a crack in hopes of catching a glimpse of the blond shinobi.

Naruto sighed, his half open eyes watched as the freezing vapor of his breath mingled with the stream from the hot spring before disappearing into the cold night air. Finding the correct words were almost impossible; every time he tried to start a sentence a voice from deep in his subconscious stopped him. He wanted to tell them to have the suffocating pressure lifted from his tired shoulders, but at that same time he feared their response more then any kunai. His friends had always been everything to him and he would always put their happiness above his because they all deserved to be happy.

"Naruto..?" Sakura voice shook him from his thoughts.

"During my… battle with the Kyuubi, there was a time when the fox resorted to bombarding my mind with images much like the one's Ino's jutsu conjures. It was an attempt to break my will. To cause me to give up," Naruto finished.

The two kunoichi's shoulders slumped, the both knew the kind of devastation Ino's mind jutsu could cause but to believe Naruto had endured it for and extended period of time was overwhelming.

"It was only during the few time I managed to sleep, he used my dreams against me, it caused me to pick up a rather unfortunate habit," Naruto continued almost laughing at this own words.

Sakura and Ino knew immediately what he was talking about. His drinking, they had all done it at some point in time, drowned their sorrows and horrible memories away with an intoxicating blend of alcohol.

"How did you survive?" Sakura whispered.

"I drank myself into oblivion every night and hoped it would end, and when it didn't I thought about all the people I had counting on me, all the people I was trying to protect, it kept me going when I considered giving up," Naruto explained his voice getting softer and sadder at every word.

Ino sat in the hot water in silence allowing Naruto's words to sink in. It seemed so foreign for Naruto to talk about giving up. But at the same time the fact that he was telling the truth was so evident in his solemn tone of voice.

At the same time Naruto sat in a suddenly cold pool of guilt. He never realized just how close he had came to giving up, to allowing that thing that was sealed inside of him out to bring untold destruction to the world. He shivered at the thought of the amount of blood that would have stained his hands, had he simply given up. He looked at his now shaking hands and to his horror watched them turn a dark red.

'All ready blood covered,' he laughed to himself.

It was true, as much destruction as the Kyuubi would have caused, the lives he would have taken would have only added to an already impressive number. And when Naruto thought about it hard he wasn't really sure whether all of his nightmares were products of the Kyuubi's plot to overthrow his mind.

"So basically you were able to withstand my jutsu because you had already experienced something very close to it?" Ino questioned finally putting all the pieces together.

"Basically yes, but without the healing properties of the Kyuubi's chakra I never would have survived the stress from the multiple _Kage Bushins _and the Kyuubi's own assault," Naruto concluded.

"Why would the Kyuubi help you when he was trying to destroy your mind?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't think he was trying to help me more like the seal couldn't contain all the fox's chakra and the amount the leaked out healed me of most of the damage caused by his attacks," Naruto explained.

"Naruto you don't have to answer this if you don't want too," Sakura whispered suddenly feeling fidgety.

"It's about the seals, right?" Naruto questioned.

"Yeah… But I… We understand if you don't want to talk about it," Sakura responded getting a small nod from Ino.

I will tell you about the seals if you answer something for me first," Naruto responded the utter seriousness of his voice sent shivers up and down the two women's spines.

Sakura's mind raced trying to conceive what questions Naruto would ask the two of them. For a brief moment she thought the questions would just involve what had taken place in the past three years. But the last three years of her life hardly seemed and equal trade for the close guarded information Naruto was offering them. No, he would want something deeper, something more meaningful.

Sakura's eyes fell on Ino's nude form wondering if the blonde women would agree to let Naruto dive into her difficult past. She wondered if Naruto would ask about the events surrounding Chouji's death and at the same time wondered if Ino would be able to keep it together.

'**Maybe he finally wants to know why?'** the voice rang though Sakura's head.

'Why..?' Sakura responded.

'**Why we never acknowledged his feelings or maybe why we allowed things to end up this way,'** Inner Sakura's voice was subdued almost afraid.

'There was nothing I could do, I don't put that thing inside of him,' Sakura pleaded knowing full well she was lying to herself.

'**You and I both know that is a lie, we could have saved him from all of this,'** Inner Sakura responded.

'Please don't say things like that; I can't be thinking that way right now,' Sakura cried.

'**And what if he asks you? Are you going to lie to him?'** Inner Sakura questioned.

'No, I can't lie to him not after what he has been through,' Sakura answered.

"I will… answer your questions Naruto," Ino's reaction startled Sakura out of her mindscape.

Ino turned her attention to the pink haired kunoichi beside her wondering if she was going to agree as well. After all Sakura's past with Naruto had far more unanswered questions then her's ever could. She wondered what Naruto would ask. Wondered if he would ask them why they had teased him and ignored him when they were academy students or why even when he graduated and became a genin he was still looked down upon and laughed at like he was some how unworthy of their respect.

'We were so stupid,' Ino thought to herself.

Ino knew Sakura had always felt semi responsible for Naruto's condition and wondered if her best friend was going to be able to take the line of questions Naruto surely had lined up for them.

"Me too Naruto, ask away," Sakura faked a joyful response.

'Not bad Sakura, but he is better at faking happiness then you are,' Ino thought as she awaited Naruto's questions.

Naruto sighed, shifted uncomfortably in the warm water. His questions seemed so clear in his mind but his mouth seemed unable to pronounce even the most simple of them. If there had been anyone else on the male side of the hot spring the surely could have seen the deep blush that covered his cheeks as he tried to formulate words.

Naruto laughed nervously causing the two women to allow a small grin to appear on both their faces. His laugh reminded them of their younger days when Naruto, when they all were more innocent.

"Are either of you involved with anyone?" Naruto's question was so mumbled that Ino could barely make out what he had asked.

"Could you repeat that Naruto?" Sakura questioned certain what she heard wasn't what he actually had asked.

"Are either of you involved? You know like dating someone?" Naruto repeated slower gaining some control over his nervousness.

"What kind of question is that?!" Ino screamed.

"Just something I wanted to know, its stupid never mind," Naruto moved to retreat to the relative safety of the resorts bar.

"Naruto, wait don't leave," Ino called out causing Naruto to halt his hastened retreat.

"I'm not seeing anyone at the moment," Ino reluctantly acknowledged.

"Me either Naruto, you know how it is; it is kind of hard to start a relationship and do what we do day in and day out," Sakura joined offering a rather convenient excuse.

"So neither of you has ever done anything like this before I assume?" Naruto's words were guarded.

He knew the two women being naked would not stop them from beating him within an inch of death if he over crossed his bounds. It took several moments for Sakura's intellectual mind to figure out what Naruto was trying to ask but as soon as she did a deep crimson blush appeared on her face. Ino was not far behind her but took a very different approach then Sakura's embarrassed silence.

"I don't think that is any of your fucking business Naruto," Ino huffed.

Ino's out burst caused Naruto to almost bolt for his towel and leap the two stories straight into their room. Ino huffed as she turned away from the oak wall mumbling a few more obscenities about the blond shinobi. She looked back toward Sakura half expecting the pink haired kunoichi to be punching through the wall to get at the young man on the other side. What she found was quite a different scene. Sakura remained frozen in place, her hair shrouding her eyes as she nervously played with her fingers.

'She wouldn't honestly tell him…' Ino thought as she gaped at Sakura.

Naruto had frozen shortly after he heard Ino begin to splash away to the other side of the spring. Suddenly he felt guilty again he hadn't meant to insult her or drive her away he just needed to know. Suddenly a part of him that he thought had died long ago resurfaced. He wanted the answer to be no.

'Why? It would only make things harder on them,' he asked himself.

Naruto suddenly realized he didn't care if he had to upset Ino he was going to find out.

"Ino…" Naruto began his voice suddenly a lot firmer that it had been only moments before, "Please I need to know. I'm only asking because I have to know what to expect," he lied.

Ino suddenly realized why Naruto need to know. But it didn't make tell him any easier. Despite how close of friends they were it was still something she didn't quite feel like sharing with him, at least not at the present time.

"I…" Sakura began she fumbled with the words she had been rehearsing in her head.

"I… have never done anything like this before," Sakura whispered a fresh tear following a familiar path down her cheek.

"Me either, Naruto," Ino sighed; defeated she allowed her now shaking legs to give way.

"Damn it," Naruto hissed his chakra flared causing water to actually heat up a few degrees.

His fist clenched as he gritted his teeth trying to get past the sense of failure he had. He couldn't do anything to protect them from this fate and worse yet he knew it. How was he supposed to ever look them in the eye again?

'God damn it their fucking innocent! Why!' he screamed into his head.

"Naruto? Have… Have are you still… you know?" Sakura stuttered.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto answered sheepishly.

"Why?" Ino questioned now that the information was out in the open she let her curiosity get the better of her.

Naruto was wondering the same thing about the two kunoichi. He knew well that one night stands were common place among shinobi. The stress of not knowing whether this would be your last night alive took its toll on both male and female ninja alike. A night of heavy drinking usually lead to such events. There were very rarely any hard feelings or sense of remorse it was just two people who needed someone for the same reason.

"Well I…" Naruto stuttered, "have been training a lot the past few years and well I… guess I just haven't found the right girl."

It was a good enough lie the truth was he hadn't ever found a girl who was remotely interested in him after they found out what he was. He didn't blame them, he was doomed too a life solitude and he had given up on ever finding someone to share his heart with.

The two women on the other side of the wall stared at each other. Wondering what the other was about to say. This was a chance and they both knew it, they could save themselves from some pain if they would just make the move. But something stopped them, they knew if they had asked Naruto would not have said no because that was just the way he was. But they couldn't do that too him, it would be like they were using him even if they were attracted to him.

"Well I suppose you want to know about the seal huh?" Naruto quickly tried to change the subject wary of where any further conversation would lead him.

He didn't need to be thinking about how fucked up his own life was at the moment. He was for the time being completely devoted to the two kunoichi concealed behind a few inches of wood.

"What… is the purpose behind those seals Naruto?" Sakura questioned thankful for the change of subject.

"They are the result of my final battle with the Kyuubi," Naruto replied holding his right had up to his face in order to closely examine the seals.

"How did you defeat the Kyuubi Naruto, I mean from what I have heard from my father it's power was insurmountable?" Ino questioned.

"I didn't… I lost…"

A/N: I would first of all like to apologize for the amount of time it took to get this chapter done. With the holidays and all it seemed like I never had time to sit down and actually type it up.

If there are any questions about this chapter again I will respond as best as I can without giving away future plot. Any suggestions or criticism are also welcome I mean if you don't like where the story is going would like to hear why and what you would do if you were writing it. Hell I might even listen to you.

Please Read & Review.


	9. Chapter 9: A Haunted Past

Premonitions

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews I really appreciate them especially since it seems to take me so long to get the chapters out. Sorry about that.

I would like to express me thanks to Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain for pointing out a possible hole in my plot and I don't take criticism as a flame so don't worry about upsetting me or something.. While I cannot go back and change this I will try to explain it so it makes more sense then it does.

Ok basically the reason I put the whole part in about the bingo book was that Sakura's, Ino's and Naruto's mission is to infiltrate a border village, sorry if I made it sound like some kind of fortress from which there can be no return, and gain information in a variety of ways not just sleeping with people. Sakura and Ino are to pose as prostitutes in hope of finding out locations of massing forces not necessarily actual battle plans. They will primarily be confronting missing Nins. Since as Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain pointed out it doesn't make sense that high level Cloud Shinobi who have access to highly secret plans would go to a brothel.

Also I understand the point about the bingo book having Naruto, Sakura, and Ino in it because of their respected levels of importance. But Sakura and Ino have not been outside of Konoha in almost three years for the most part. So data in the bingo book about the two of them will be three years old. As for Naruto, he was surely in the bingo book as a high priority target for other countries because of his obvious strength. But he disappeared for three years. I guess my point is if I was making the bingo book and someone who was that powerful suddenly vanished I would assume they were deceased. But I do agree that it is a plot hole. Sorry about that.

I hope that explains things a little better I will try to do better in upcoming chapters and stories to not leave such gaping plot holes.

Oh and for all of your Naruto x Sakura fans calm yourselves it is coming eventually…

…maybe…

Please Read and Review.

**Chapter 9: A Haunted Past**

"I didn't… I lost…"

The words echoed inside of the two kunoichi's head as suddenly the water seemed very cold. The wind picked up almost on cue as if it was signaling the on coming of a storm. Sakura stared at her hands finally realizing she was shaking, she had felt the pure evil of the Kyuubi's power before and it still to this day terrified her. Ino stared wide eyed at the wooden wall separating the two sides of the hot spring expecting at any moment for the demon fox to smash it to pieces.

Naruto sat uncomfortably on the other side of the wall. The shock of what he had just said seemed to hang in the eerie silence.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voiced whispered past his ears, it seemed to ask if he was still there but he knew the meaning behind her words was something completely different.

"In a way," was the blondes response only serving to send further chills down Sakura's spine

"I…" Sakura began.

"I am still Naruto… Just not the same person I used to be," Naruto whispered staring at his hands.

"What happened to you?" Sakura questioned.

"It's a long story," Naruto sighed clenching his fists not sure if he could continue.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sakura responded.

"Me either," Ino chimed in.

**Flashback**

"What do you mean there is no chance of defeating the Kyuubi?" Naruto screamed as he threw another punch Jiraiya's way.

"Our original plan is flawed Naruto I never expected the Kyuubi to have so much control over its chakra," Jiraiya responded as he dodged to the left before rotating and delivering a round house kick that Naruto blocked.

"What are we going to do then; if we can't kill it we may as well finish it right now!" Naruto huffed as he jumped backward putting some distance between himself and the older man.

His hands moved quickly as he pulled his new ninjato out of its scabbard before holding it too his own throat.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Do not forget our promise!" Jiraiya screamed causing the blonde's defeated eyes to lock onto his.

"Fuck you," Naruto whispered his eyes filling with tears.

"Put it down now, Naruto!" Jiraiya responded.

Naruto pushed the blade to his throat causing a thin red line of blood to begin to trickle down his neck. He hesitated for a moment before dropping to his knees. The ninjato fell harmlessly to the ground as Naruto slammed his fists into the hard soil.

"Damn it, I'm such a coward!" the young man screamed as he continued to cry.

Jiraiya let out a sigh before slowly approaching the sobbing boy and helping him to his feet.

"Naruto you are not a coward because you fear death," the Sannin explained as he attempted to peer through the golden locks of hair that covered the young man's crystal blue eyes.

"I'm tired Ero-Sennin," Naruto whispered.

"We will stop for the day. It's fine I need time to…" Jiraiya begun.

"No! I mean I'm tired of this, I'm so tired Jiraiya," Naruto screamed.

"Naruto, I made you a promise and you made me one as well, now we will either find a way or I will end it but I haven't give up yet so neither should you," Jiraiya whispered.

Jiraiya knew exactly what Naruto was talking about. Truth be told he was tired too and nothing he or Naruto had tried had come even close to succeeding. But he couldn't show weakness in front of Naruto. He had never seen the boy so defeated; so close to giving up. He had to be strong for the boy in front of him as much as for himself. His dreams had been haunted lately by the idea of having to truly finish the task Naruto had given him.

Naruto stared at the older man wondering how long he could keep up the charade. Naruto knew Jiraiya was quickly running out of ideas. Despite all of the Sannin's skill with seals nothing had worked so far and Naruto knew Jiraiya was quickly running out of ideas.

"Let's stop for the day I need some time to think," Jiraiya sighed earning a small nod from Naruto.

The evening found Jiraiya and Naruto sitting around a small campfire in peaceful silence. Jiraiya glanced at Naruto noticing the eighteen year old had already begun to down bottle after bottle of sake. He didn't blame the boy; from what Naruto had told him of his inner battles with the Kyuubi alcohol seemed to give the boy at least some peace at night if only for a short time. Jiraiya's eyes quickly returned to his scroll hoping that somewhere in his or Minato's experiences and research a suitable solution could be found. And yet he had already read through the scroll on sealing twice and still the solution avoided him.

'Damn it' Jiraiya mused as he closed the scroll and pick up another one.

"Do you think they are proud of me?" Naruto slurred as he threw a twig into the fire.

"Who?" Jiraiya asked not bothering to look up from his readings.

"My parents, do you think I turned out the way they wanted?" Naruto whispered.

"Naruto…" Jiraiya hesitated locking his gaze onto the young man, "Your parents are very proud of you and love you very much. I cannot think of a son who could make his parents more proud or could have made a sensei more proud of a student."

"Why did this happen to me?" Naruto slurred again the alcohol beginning to impair his speech.

"You were the only choice, your father tried, Kami did he try to find another way but in the end you were the only solution," Jiraiya explained. "It was probably the toughest choice any Hokage has ever had to make."

Naruto took another long drink from the bottle before tossing it aside disgustingly.

"We are going to need more sake Ero-Sennin," the blonde slurred before rolling onto his back and passing out.

"Sleep my boy, for one night I pray let him be at peace," the Sannin whispered before returning to his work studying the scrolls.

His eyelids grew heavy as the night wore on but he couldn't give in he concentrated harder hoping the scroll in his hands would suddenly reveal some secret it had been hiding from him. Sighing he tossed the scroll aside allowing it to join the dozen of others that now lay haphazardly around the camp.

"Damn it," he hissed as he pushed himself up from his sitting position.

His joints cracked and his muscles stiffened in rebellion as he pushed him self up to a standing position.

"I'm getting old," Jiraiya laughed as he move to pick up one of the many scrolls.

Picking up the first of them, Jiraiya quickly rolled up the scroll before carefully placing it back in his pack. He moved slowly carefully listening to the soft murmurs coming from his companion.

"Looks like tonight he may actually get some rest," the white haired man thought as he pick up another scroll.

Glancing down he noticed it was not one of his scrolls but one of Naruto's, well more precisely one of his father's. His eyes widened as he dropped two other scrolls before turning his attention to make sure the blonde was still resting peacefully. Satisfied that Naruto would not awaken Jiraiya returned his attentions to the scroll in his hands.

"It could work," Jiraiya whispered in almost disbelief.

Moving stealth fully he glided across the camp site until he was in reach of Naruto's pack. Carefully he began to pick through the various scrolls the boy had been scribbling in the past year.

'At least he finally took some of my advise,' Jiraiya mused as he found the scroll he was looking for.

Quickly retreating to the far side of the camp he opened the scroll and placed it next to the other one.

"It will take some time and an enormous amount of training, but it just might work," the old man laughed to himself.

The thrashing from across the camp stopped his laughter and brought a grave look to his eyes. He watched in what he could describe as a sick fascination as his student thrashed and rolled around. Tears welled up in his shut eyes began to leak down his cheeks as his mouth opened to scream. The pure terror and sadness caused Jiraiya to begin to move across the camp, but his logic stopped him. As painful as it was to see his pupil in such a state the boy was going to need the mental fortitude these experiences would provide if he was going to survive what he had planned.

Quickly forming hand seals the Sannin disappeared in a puff of smoke. He would need peace and quiet if he was going to design seals capable of holding back such a horrendous power.

Naruto awoke to a dull morning the clouds covering the morning sun gave the surrounding country side a rather dreary appearance.

"Fuck!" Naruto hissed as he tried to pull himself upward.

His hangover was bad but not the worst he had ever endured. He noticed his voice was horse and his face tasted like salt as his tongue licked his dry lips noticing the well known tracks where his tears fell. He remembered it all every last image the fox sent cascading into his sub conscious. He told himself they weren't real, that there was nothing the fox could do to his friends and family as long as he had control. But that control had begun to slip and he feared even Jiraiya's seals were beginning to no longer have an effect on the creature.

The sound of someone rummaging through his pack quickly brought the teen's attention to bear on his sensei seemingly preoccupied in his search through Naruto's personal belongings.

"What the fuck Ero-Sennin?" Naruto yelled drawing the older man's attention.

"Ah, Naruto good to see you finally awake," Jiraiya replied as he continued his assault on Naruto's bag.

"Do you mind old man?" Naruto questioned as Jiraiya threw scroll after scroll to the side before finally stopping.

"Good you brought it," Jiraiya exclaimed as he held up a worn black book.

"What are you doing with my book about Akatsuki?" Naruto questioned.

The older man grinned showing a side of himself that neither he nor Naruto had seen in quite a while.

"What's the deal Ero-Sennin?" Naruto questioned still trying to rub the redness out of his eyes.

"I think I have come up with a new way to end this. It is not as absolute as our original plan but it will end the attacks on your mind and allow us to return home," the older man replied beaming with a confidence Naruto had rarely seen in the past several months.

"Really?" Naruto's defeated face lit up.

"Hold it, Naruto," Jiraiya's face suddenly became grim, "While this will in a way end your suffering it will also change who you are forever."

Naruto stared unbelieving at the older man wondering what he meant. He didn't want to change he had worked hard to become the man he was. He wanted to stay the same Naruto he had always been but he alternative was something far worse.

"Ok Ero-Sennin what do I need to do?" Naruto questioned.

For the next year and a half Naruto pushed himself to limits he didn't believe possible and then beyond. At several points Jiraiya had to add restricting seals on top of the Fourth's in a vain attempt to keep the Kyuubi at bay. Now after two and a half years of almost constant training he was ready.

"It's time Jiraiya." Naruto called as he approached the older man.

"Are you ready?" the Sannin questioned.

"Do I really have a choice?" Naruto asked pulling up his fishnet shirt to allow Jiraiya to inspect the seals.

"No, the restricting seals won't hold for much longer and your father's seal will release soon after," Jiraiya replied.

"Is everything prepared?" Naruto questioned suddenly feeling a strange calm about the coming trail.

"Everything is ready," Jiraiya taking off his pack as he readied himself.

"Good let's get this over with," Naruto sighed as he threw down his bag and pulled off his shirt.

"This is going to hurt, a lot," Jiraiya explained.

"I know I'm prepared to deal with it," Naruto replied as Jiraiya pricked Naruto's fingers with a small needle.

Collecting the blood in small cup Jiraiya dipped a small calligraphy brush in to the thick red liquid. Naruto held out his hands as Jiraiya began writing the nine kanji for dragon around each of his wrist. When the kanji were finished Jiraiya began drawing the intricate designs that would completely cover Naruto's upper body. The seals finally completed Jiraiya sighed as the blood began to dry on Naruto's tanned skin.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Jiraiya questioned as he held up a small black wooden box.

Naruto looked longing at it before taking it from Jiraiya's hand. He studied the box carefully before opening it and removing its contents. The crimson ribbon blew in the wind as he stared at the fabric remembering better times. The sweet smell of cherry blossoms filled his nostrils as the smell of Sakura's hair enveloped him. He closed his eyes for a moment taking a deep breath he opened his determined eyes.

"Thank you… for everything Jiraiya," Naruto said as he tied the crimson piece of fabric around his right bicep.

"Thank me afterwards," the elder man replied. "Remember you will need to keep control until all nine tails have formed. Use your chakra to protect your mind from the Kyuubi's chakra it will take a couple of minutes for all the chakra to completely leave the seal."

"Ok…" Naruto replied.

"There can be no hesitation Naruto the instant you feel all the Kyuubi's chakra come out you must use your improved version of the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_. Push all of your and the fox's charka as far away as you can, leave behind only the darkest core. It will be right behind you so you must stay conscious; if you pass out its over," Jiraiya explained as he used more of Naruto's blood to begin drawing a huge seal in the ground.

"I know," Naruto whispered inhaling deeply before exhaling all the air in his lungs.

"Now after you get as far as you can you must use the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ to teleport your self back here. Once you get here I will activate the seals to trap the chakra you have brought with you, hopefully sealing it before the Kyuubi can locate you," Jiraiya continued.

"Then the real battle starts," Naruto interjected continuing his breathing exercises.

"Correct, remember we don't have any idea of what your mindscape is going to be like. Hopefully you will have enough chakra left to combat the Kyuubi when it finally returns. Remember you won't have the ability to draw on the extra demonic chakra the seals will be holding back," Jiraiya instructed as he continued drawing the intricate seals.

"But neither will it," Naruto grinned as he tried to expand his lungs further.

"Good, it seems you actually listened to me for once," Jiraiya joked.

"This isn't some advice about women Ero-Sennin," Naruto responded.

"My advise on women is from years of experience and if you had listened you might have actually been laid once in your life," Jiraiya joked.

"Good time to bring that up," Naruto sarcastically huffed.

"Now from what we know the Kyuubi's chakra will have done considerable damage to your body, but no matter what you cannot lose consciousness until the seals have been fully completed. If you pass out before the seals completely bind to you…" Jiraiya looked away as his voice faded to a whisper.

"You will end it, because the demonic chakra will rush back to the Kyuubi's control making him too powerful for me to defeat," Naruto finished for him.

"Yes… I will keep our promise," Jiraiya whispered.

"Good, you may need this," Naruto continued holding out his ninjato for the older man, "Only a weapon infused with my blood and chakra will be able to stop the fox from being able to heal my… his body."

Jiraiya watched as Naruto made a deep cut across the palm of his hand letting the blood run down the blade. He then proceeded to push an enormous amount of blue chakra into the weapon. The blade hummed as the blue chakra twisted around it before disappearing into the blade.

"Remember at the first sign of trouble…" Naruto began.

"I know," Jiraiya interrupted grabbing the blade from Naruto's grasp.

"Don't hesitate Jiraiya. I won't be able to hold him back for long," Naruto commanded.

The Sannin stared at the younger man wondering where he got such courage from.

'Just like his father,' Jiraiya mused.

"Naruto no matter how this ends… It has been an honor to be your sensei," Jiraiya commented as he finished the last stroke of the great seal now painted on the ground.

"It has been an honor to be your student Jiraiya," Naruto replied slightly bowing to show his respect for his adopted father.

The older man took a step back inspecting his greatest work. Nodding his approval he turned his attention to his student.

"It is time," Jiraiya solemnly spoke as he moved closer to the blonde.

"Ok do it," Naruto whispered tensing every muscle in this body in preparation for the battle to come.

**"_Fuuja Houin_**** Kai," Jiraiya yelled before slamming his open palm into Naruto's stomach.**

**Naruto took the he full on stopping his body from moving with his powerful abdominal muscles. He breathed deeply concentrating on forming a barrier of chakra that would keep his mind separate from the Kyuubi's onslaught. He felt the seal dissipate as the full force of the Kyuubi's power bombarded the ****_Shishou Fuuin_**

**Naruto closed his eyes as the crimson chakra began to leak out of him. It hurt, but he had no choice but to bear the pain as the first tail began to form. Jiraiya shouted words of encouragement the seemingly helped as the first three tails now swayed behind him. As the fourth tail began to materialize Naruto felt the ****_Shishou Fuuin_**** finally cave to the pressure. Suddenly he felt the pure unbridled rage of the Kyuubi slam into his chakra barrier he had wound around his mind. Jiraiya's words were long since been drowned out as Naruto's head spun with the sheer amount of pain he was feeling. Nothing he had ever been through compared to this. The chakra melted his skin and made his blood seemingly boil as the seventh tail took shape.**

**'TWO LEFT!' he shouted into his mind.**

**His own chakra reserves were quickly depleting themselves as the barrier around his mind began to crumble.**

**"NO!" Naruto screamed as the blue chakra fought its desperate battle against the ever increasing crimson chakra.**

**Suddenly he saw the ribbon flapping in his mind seemingly renewing his strength.**

**'I have to endure for Ero-Sennin, for Baa-chan, and for her," Naruto told himself.**

**An eruption of crystal clear blue chakra pushed back against the advancing crimson. The demonic chakra seemed taken back by the sudden counter attack allowing the barrier to stabilize itself for an instant before beginning to break under the increasing strain.**

**"Now!" Naruto screamed as he felt the ninth and final tail form.**

**He pushed as hard as he could with all the chakra he had left. Jiraiya watched in absolute horror as the ninth tail took shape. He could no longer tell whether Naruto was even alive much less still conscious. He raised the ninjato high into the air preparing to deal his fateful strike. Just as he began to swing, the chakra enhanced blade, downward a bright crimson flash signaled Naruto's technique.**

**"He did it!" Jiraiya screamed as he produced an odd looking kunai from his sleeve.**

**Allowing himself a small grin Jiraiya threw the three pronged kunai into the middle of the large blood drawn seal and took his position kneeling next to it. Before he could even get all the way down a golden flash appeared, temporarily blinding him.**

**"Shit!" he screamed as he slammed his hands into the seal. The resulting power forced to Sannin backwards away from the now spinning tornado of crimson chakra.**

**"What power!" Jiraiya gawked as he stared into the torrent.**

**Even from his position he could feel the intense bloodlust radiating from the center of the crimson storm.**

**"Come on, come on," Jiraiya whispered as he willed the seals to complete themselves.**

**Almost on cue the torrent began to dissipate revealing a horrible scarred and bloody Naruto. Standing in the middle of the now non existent seal. The seals burned a bright crimson as they hissed and crackled causing even deeper wounds to the boy's blackened skin.**

**His teeth clenched tightly together Naruto held firm his battle half over. He could feel the external and internal damage his body had taken. He willed his legs to stay locked in place as he coughed up a disgustingly large amount of blood onto the scorched ground.**

**Naruto fought through the pain managing to open his eyes. He noticed he now stood in his mindscape standing in the partially flooded room that used to contain his prisoner.**

**NAR…U…TO…****' a deep voice echoed through his pain filled brain.**

**'NO! You will not control me ever again!' Naruto screamed back.**

'**What have you done you fool!**' the Kyuubi appeared in front of him the huge bars no longer restricting his movements.

'FUCK YOU!' Naruto hissed as the pain intensified.

'**Did you honestly believe you could defeat me boy?**' the great kitsune chuckled as he watched the boy's futile attempt to block the pain.

'It is not ever yet; our battle won't be finished till I have destroyed you!' Naruto screamed.

'**You and that old man are fools, boy! Even with the majority of my chakra sealed away again I have enough to easily enslave your body!**' the fox yelled.

Naruto no longer could speak the pain he was experiencing had once again intensified reaching another level Naruto didn't think possible. His knees buckled as he fell forward his teeth grinding as he fought not to pass out.

'**That's it boy give in and it will all be over,**' the Kyuubi smirked as he watched the mortal writhe in pain.

"Don't give up Naruto suppress the pain, push it out of your mind and fight!" Jiraiya's words broke through the pain.

'**Do you realize boy that even if you some how managed to destroy me the chakra sealed away in your body will still taint you. You will become like me because no matter what you do your hate will always drive you to be more and more powerful,**' the fox whispered as he watched Naruto's struggle intently.

Naruto's crystal eyes shot open suddenly realizing there was still time. He could still win even if the victory seemed tainted by his lack of ability to control his anger.

'I'm not like that any more I don't need you to fight my battles for me!' the kitsune's eyes opened in surprise at the mortal's ability to over come the pain.

'**Naruto I will destroy everything you love starting with that pink haired bitch!**' the Kyuubi snarled.

'You will not touch her or any one else!' Naruto screamed back his crystal blue eyes locked onto sinister crimson ones.

'**Oh and how do you intend on stopping me boy! You are powerless now, without your cursed father's seal holding me back I could easily kill you now!**' the fox growled back.

'Then what are you waiting for?!' Naruto yelled as he slammed his fist into the floor still trying to fight through the searing pain.

'**Tell me boy! In all of our years bound together by that damnable seal have you known me not to toy with a victim?**' the Kyuubi laughed.

'You won't win. I can't let you win!" Naruto screamed as he fell to his knees placing his other hand down in order to remain partially vertical.

'**I will enjoy using your body to defile that pink haired slut you are so fond of!**' the Kyuubi laughed not noticing the blue chakra leaking out of Naruto's body.

Naruto felt the build up in power suddenly the pain reduced just enough for him to stand. He pushed the pain to the far corner of his conscious mind as he concentrated on the words the Kyuubi had just spoken. The registered slowly as he fought the constant threat of the pain resurfacing.

'BASTARD…' Naruto hissed as the chakra he had felt intensified again.

'**What are you doing boy I was enjoying our conversation but if you wish to put an end to it that is acceptable!**' the fox yelled as he eyes finally fell on the blue chakra still leaking out of the boy.

'You say my hate drives me to win…' Naruto whispered his blonde hair shrouding his blue eyes from the Kyuubi.

'**That is why you can never win boy! Because your hate will breed something even more destructive then I am. Though you would have to defeat me first and that in its self is impossible!**' the Kyuubi laughed as he lunged toward the now stoic Naruto.

'Well… You should know… That… I HATE YOU MORE THEN ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD!' Naruto screamed his head lifted to see the fox's attack.

The blue chakra intensified yet again just as the Kyuubi's claws dove downward to deliver the final blow.

From where Jiraiya was standing there was no evidence of the mental battle being waged with in his long time pupil. He watched the young man carefully noticing every slight movement the badly wounded blonde made. He was amazed at the amount of damage the first part of their plan had done as Naruto's skin was blistered and bleeding all over his exposed arms and torso. Yet somehow the shinobi remained standing his fists and eyes tightly clenched trying to fight off the severe pain.

Jiraiya knew the moment of truth was almost upon him, either Naruto would be able to defeat the weakened Kyuubi or the Kyuubi would regain control of his sealed chakra. But timing was everything if he finished the seals to quickly the Kyuubi would notice and Naruto would not be able to distract him long enough to allow the first layer of seals to bind to the boy's body. If he waited too long Naruto would certainly die from the massive wounds leaking horrendous amounts of blood from his body.

'No I must wait for just a few moments longer,' Jiraiya told himself as he reached into his jinbaori pulling out a small vial of blood.

Jiraiya examined the crimson liquid careful not to drop the vial. The risk was too great this was all of Yamato's blood he had left and it was extremely important he not waste a drop of the precious liquid. He kneeled down making sure he was still with in reach of Naruto's ninjato and easy striking distance should the worse occur. Pulling the rubber lid off the vial Jiraiya poured the vials contents into the same bowl he had used to collect Naruto's blood. He mixed the two red liquids together careful not to spill a drop as he began to create yet another seal on the palm of his right hand.

Naruto panted hard as he dodged another fatal strike from the Kyuubi. He had to keep this up for just a few more moments he could feel the fox's power waning but at the same time his own chakra reserves were dangerously low as well.

'**How long can you keep this up boy?! I can feel your power diminishing!**' the Kyuubi barked as one of his nine tails narrowly missed Naruto as he flipped backward.

'Just a little longer you piece of shit and it will all be over,' Naruto hissed as he pushed the last remnants of his chakra reserves into his body.

'**So you have finally exhausted your chakra supplies. Guess it finally is time to end your pitiful existence,**' the great kitsune laughed as he pumped every once of demonic chakra left under his control into the fight.

The final strike would be delivered now. It came down to this moment and Naruto knew he must not hold any thing back. He pushed the chakra into his right arm and then into his right hand forming his signature technique. The spinning orb of blue chakra intensified as Naruto desperately pushed more and more chakra into the _Rasengan _as blades of wind began to whirl around the tightly packed ball.

Suddenly blue eyes met red as the two combatants pushed themselves forward toward their climatic battle's end. The Kyuubi roared unleashing a deadly beam of crimson chakra that barreled its way straight into Naruto. Naruto thrust his right hand forward meeting the deadly rush of chakra. He pushed forward as the _Fuuma Rasengan_ cut through the Kyuubi's powerful attack.

Jiraiya watched in horror as the blonde's arm erupted in a fountain of blood as the battle inside Naruto's mind reached its conclusion.

"Now!" the Sannin screamed as he launched himself forward.

The older man was instantly in front of Naruto as he drove his open palm forward with all the strength he could muster. He slammed the seal into the center of Naruto's chest as the blonde fell unconscious to the ground.

Naruto grinned at the fallen Kyuubi only seeing the tremendous amount of damage his most powerful technique had done to the weakened monster. The Kyuubi stared up at him his seemingly lifeless eyes wide in disbelief. Suddenly the beast groaned as it coughed up blood.

'See, you bastard, I defeated you,' Naruto whispered.

'**You shouldn't be so cocky boy,**' the Kyuubi coughed as his crimson eyes shifted to Naruto's stomach.

Naruto's eyes followed the Kyuubi's gaze as he noticed the great mass of fur now exiting his stomach. His eyes widened as he realized the one of the kitsune's nine tails had impaled him. Naruto's throat suddenly filled with blood causing him to fall to his knees attempting to breath.

'**You may have won this battle Naruto, but you will never be rid of all of my rage and bloodlust now,**' the Kyuubi grinned as its mighty chest rose and fell for the last time.

Naruto's head spun as the fox's body began to fade away. A sudden sense of being completely alone in his mind surfaced for a brief second before an inexhaustible source of hate erupted deep in his mind.

'NO!' Naruto screamed as he finally felt the weight of all of his injuries pulling him toward unconsciousness.

'What have I done…?' Naruto whispered as he stared at his hands before finally losing his battle and blacking out.

**End Flashback**

The two kunoichi hung on every word as Naruto finished his tale. The two young women sat in silence; their keen minds working to process the enormous amount of information Naruto had just unveiled to them. The questions seemed numerous and neither of them knew quite where to begin.

Something just didn't seem right to Sakura. It seemed to her that Naruto had indeed won, despite his own admission that he had been defeated. In her mind he had defeated the most destructive force known to the world and was now sitting just a few feet away hidden behind an easily removed barrier. But in another part of her mind she wondered if that was just what she wanted to believe.

"But you won," where the only words that escaped her lips as her mind continued to work trying to find a suitable answer.

"You sound just like Jiraiya," the blond shinobi chuckled.

The two women picked up on the fact that Naruto had not used his less then favorable nickname for the afore mentioned Sannin. Their ears once again strained to pick up Naruto's explanation.

"What do you mean Naruto?" Ino questioned hoping to fill in the large holes in her perception of Naruto's battle.

"I guess it is hard to understand unless you can fell it like I can," Naruto sighed, his words only causing a confused look to be exchanged between the two kunoichi.

"It?" Sakura probed.

"The intense hate, the need to kill, the unending rage," Naruto whispered. "When the Kyuubi fatally wounded my mind his personality and mine began to merge. Jiraiya managed to activate the final seal and stopped the process before the fox could completely take control. But his more primal instincts and desires where forever implanted in my subconscious. I am more like the Kyuubi now then ever before because his hate and rage are forever a part of who… what I am."

"Only his higher intelligence was destroyed?" Ino questioned her expertise in mental health clearly showing.

"I guess that's one way of putting it. Imagine a wild animal that had been kept in a cage for a millennium and then suddenly the cage was no longer there to contain it. Why do you think it took so long for Ero-Sennin and myself to return to Konoha?" Naruto questioned.

"I…" Sakura whispered suddenly understanding what Naruto was telling the two of them.

It all made sense now to Sakura, the way he had acted when they first saw him at the hospital to the almost deadly spar in the woods. He had changed and the fact would probably haunt him forever. He could barely control his temper before but now it seemed even the slightest gesture or comment could throw him into a never ending tail spin toward complete destruction.

"It took almost six months for Ero-Sennin and I to work on keeping my rage under control," Naruto's answer brought Sakura back out of her own thoughts.

"I still don't understand something Naruto," Ino begun.

"How using the _Hiraishin no Jutsu _could possibly weaken the Kyuubi enough for me to defeat him?" Naruto finished for her.

Taking the girls' silence for an invitation to continue Naruto explained, "The primary concept behind my father's technique…"

"Your father's… you never told us the Yondaime was your father!" Ino interrupted the shock evident in her voice.

It was true Naruto had denied the girls certain details about his trip most notably the fact that Minato Namikaze was his father and Sakura's heavy influence on his supposed victory. He hadn't meant to leave the first detail out but it just didn't seem like the right time to start that conversation while they were concentrating on the seals.

'Maybe I should have told them it may have been a good distraction," Naruto thought as he began to get wrapped up in his own thoughts.

Suddenly it all made sense to Sakura, she had always wondered why Naruto had been chosen to host the Kyuubi. It had never made sense before no parents would offer their own child up to be a jinchuuriki and she had always doubted the Fourth would have just randomly chosen an orphan. More than that there were the obvious details she had some how managed overlooked. His physical features almost where identical to his father and his mastery of the Fourth's techniques made her absolutly certain Naruto was telling the truth.

Ino, on the other hand was dumbstruck, how could she have been so stupid. The obvious connections were right infront of her eyes the entire time and she had actually needed Naruto to put all the facts together for her. Suddenly she wondered if Shikamaru had figured it out long ago. She knew full well the Nara prodigy studied everyone around him finding seemling obvious connections where others only found coincidences.

"Are you going to explain or not, Naruto?" Sakura's questioned pulled the two blondes out of their thoughts.

"My father's original technique was basically a chakra technique much like the Rasengan. It doesn't require had seals or any special blood line. Basically my father wanted to develop a technique that allowed a person to move from one spot to another with incredible speed. He knew chakra could be infused inot elements such as wind and be carried at tremendous speed, plust the fact that chakra can be used to attach oneself to objects, for example the tree climbing exercise Kakashi-sensei made us do," Naruto explained.

"Wait are you saying the _Hiraishin no Jutsu _is as simple as tree climbing or infusing chakra?" Ino questioned in disbelief.

"No not at all the technique itself is extremely difficult to master and the amount of chakra needed makes the technique impossible for most shinobi," Naruto responded, " Those abilities are simply the base which the techniques principles where based upon. Unfortunently my father was never able to complete his jutsu. But he did develop a imcomplete version of what the ultimate goal was. And that technique has become know as the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ even though the technique was imcomplete."

"You mean the Fourth's most famous technique was only partially completed?" Sakura questioned.

"It was more of a prototype which he hoped to expand upon in the future," Naruto explained.

"And you finished that development didn't you Naurto?" Ino asked.

"Yes, the original technique required seals to as a becon to where the chakra would pll the person when the technique was activated. In my father's case when the special kunai he developed were thrown the seals activated.

"And your technique Naruto?" Ino questioned.

"It does not require the seals but unfortunently it has an unpleasent side effect," Naurto answered.

"Side effects?" Sakura whispered.

"It normally just caused me to feel weak and sometimes pass out when I first attempted the technique but as I attempted farther distances I found my body could barely hold up to the stress of being pulled apart. Worse yet I couldn't control where my body ended up. Unlike the seals which were created by using my own blood my technique can not transfer all my chakra to a precise point. It was like throwing a hundred shurikens at one target without taking aim. I may have been trying to move to the top of a tree but end up several hundered feet in the air," Naruto sighed remembering a particular dangerous attempt that had left him with a severe concussion.

"And you were able to master something like that?" Ino questioned.

"No, not entirely, not until…" Naurto faded off.

"Until?" Sakura questioned.

"Until the time you saw it Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered.

It took several moments for Sakura to put the pieces together and realize what event Naruto was refering too.

"You mean…" Sakura whispered her hair covering her eyes from Ino's quizical gaze.

"Yes, I didn't completely master ability to predict precisely where I would end up until my final battle with Sasuke," Naruto whispered.

The Uchiha's name cause the hair on the back of Sakura's neck to stand on end. She wished she could forget that night all together. The look in Sasuke's eyes as he bore down on her. The sickening sense of relief when Naruto finally ended their quest. It disgusted her even now, because she was actually happy that it was finally over. The worst part was she hadn't realized she had wanted it to end until Sasuke was dead. While she was saddened by his death her childhood crush had changed to a sort of loathing especially after she was almost killed by the sharingan weilder.

She didn't hate Sasuke, she felt sorry for him but he was the one that had chosen his path toward destruction. And as much as she hated to admit it nothing she could have done would have stopped him. At first she had actually believed Orochimaru had caused Sasuke's defection and not his all consuming desire for revenge.

"I guess I always did learn better on the fly then in a classroom," Naruto chuckled is attempt at humor falling on deaf ears.

"So how did this new version help you to defeat the Kyuubi?" Sakura questioned thankful for the change in conversation.

"The ill effect of the jutsu actually turn out to be the key to my battle with they Kyuubi. The primary reason why the damage was so severe was the Kyuubi's chakra was difficult to transport with the rest of my chakra. I would leave it behind when I moved an while fragments of his power would return almost immediately the majority of this power took several days to return," Naruto explained.

"So you used your father's version of the _Hiraishin no Jutsu _to transport all of the foxes chakra with you including to small pieces still trapped inside the **_Shishou Fuuin_**** and then used your own version to transport yourself and the majority of the foxes chakra back with you so you could seal it before the Kyuubi's full strength could return," Sakura voiced finally understanding the sheer complexity of Naruto's and Jiraya's plan.**

**"It was the only way…" Naruto whispered staring at his distorted reflection in the hot water. **

**He watched in horror as pupils began to distort and his irises turn crimson. He pushed himself away from the image causing a ripple in the water to distort his reflection. He stared as the reflection returned to normal as he covered his eyes with his right hand.**

**'Breathe… Breathe…' he calmly spoke into his mind.**

**"Naruto are you ok?" Ino's voice caused him to open his fingers enough for him to gaze back at the wooden dividing wall.**

**"I'm… fine… Ino," Naruto responded. **

**'Liar,' Sakura thought.**

**The two kunoichi listened as Naruto moved away the small splashing of the water their only evidence that the shinobi was leaving the hot spring.**

**"Where are you going Naruto?" Ino questioned as she moved to gather her towel.**

**"I-I'm sorry I need some air," Naruto stuttered as he disappeared into the resort leaving the two young women to simply stare at each other.**

**Sakura wanted to chase after him, to say something, make him talk to her. But she learned a long time ago that if Naruto really didn't want to be found there was no way even Ino's or her own honed senses would be able to detect him.**

**The two kunoichi solemnly removed their bodies from the luxury of the spring and silently wrapped their robes around their nude bodies.**

**"Well what now?" Ino questioned as the two made their way back toward their room.**

**"There is nothing we can do. We can't exactly go looking for him again especially at this hour," Sakura responded finally noticing just how late it was.**

**"Shit it's already almost midnight and we have to leave early… tomorrow…" Ino trailed off as suddenly the warmth of the resorts decorated hallway disappeared.**

**"Tomorrow…" Sakura sighed, the sudden realization of just what tomorrow would bring flooded back into her mind.**

**Ino scanned her best friend's face trying to catch a glimpse of the Sakura she used to know. The one from before they were assigned this ghastly mission; the one who was always confident now it seemed as if Sakura was reverting back to the way she was before she had become friends with Ino. **

**"There is nothing we can do about tomorrow Sakura…" Ino whispered, "All we can do is try and make it back alive and in the mean time hope for the best. Besides Naruto is going to be around looking after us right?"**

**Naruto's name got the desired effect from the pink haired kunoichi as her emerald eyes immediately lit up.**

**'Damn she really has fallen for him hard,' Ino thought wondering if she even stood a chance against Naruto's ex-teammate and best friend.**

**"I guess your right Ino," Sakura allowed her self a small smile as Ino turned the key and opened the large oak door which led to their room.**

**"And now for a good nights rest," Ino smiled, "After all those nights in the woods this is going to be heaven."**

**"Yeah… Hey where is Naruto at?" Sakura questioned noticing the shinobi's ninjato was missing along with the heavy crimson cape.**

**"Who knows probably training or something knowing Naruto, but can you believe his father was the Fourth Hokage?" Ino replied as she flopped unto the thick soft mattress. **

**"Actually I am kind of ashamed I never realized it sooner," Sakura grinned as she sat down on the bed next to Ino.**

**"Yeah I wonder if Shikamaru knew," Ino huffed realizing the Nara probably at the very least had a suspicion.**

**"Who knows?" Sakura yawned as she slid her slender body between the blankets.**

**"What are you doing Fore-head?" Ino questioned.**

**"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sakura replied.**

**"It looks like you are going to sleep in my bed," Ino grinned.**

**"Your bed?" Sakura questioned.**

**"Yeah the other one is yours," Ino commented.**

**"Where do you expect Naruto to sleep?" Sakura replied.**

**"Oh I'm sure he will find someplace," Ino grinned as she playfully punched Sakura on the arm.**

**"Shut up Ino," Sakura mumbled.**

**"Fine, but you are no fun Sakura," Ino yawned as she climbed into bed next to Sakura.**

**Naruto noticed the light in his room flick off as the two kunoichi snuggled into bed for a good nights rest. He allowed himself a longing look toward the warm welcoming room before returning his gaze to the seemingly endless pine forest surrounding the village.**

**His sword hung casually at his waist fastened haphazardly to his black shinobi pants. The cold wind stung his face as his cape undulated behind him. He would scan the trees almost wishing a hidden enemy would emerge.**

**'I am an idiot,' Naruto thought.**

**His troubled mind worked furiously trying to solve the problems his heart had laid in front of him. The two sleeping women only several hundred yards away would tomorrow arrive at their destination and their mission would begin.**

**'Am I really going to let this happen?' he asked himself as his eyes turned northward.**

**He closed his eyes as his fist clenched. **

**"Wasn't the whole point of giving me this power was to be able protect the people I care about!" he shouted as the roaring wind silenced him.**

**"God damn it," Naruto hissed suddenly seeing Sakura's and Ino's faces flash through his mind.**

**Their faces caused Naruto's mind to begin to wonder. Causing long dormant emotions to begin to leak from his frozen heart. He had as many questions about what exactly the two kunoichi where to him. He was after all supposed to be alone it was the fate of all Jinchuuriki but he was still human and he still even now wanted to feel what it was like to be loved.**

Ino was by far the biggest question the blond had to answer he wasn't sure as to where she fit into his life. When he looked into her blue green eyes he felt something but he couldn't quite place the feeling. As of right now she was as much of a mystery to him as he probably was to her.

As for Sakura, well he would cross the bridge when he came to it, if he ever did. He wasn't sure if his dormant feelings for the pink haired kunoichi were resurfacing and even if they were if he ever be able to tell her how he felt. After all she deserved so much more then he had to offer, of that fact he was sure. And now wasn't exactly the best time to add his own burdens on her already stressed shoulders anyway.

'I can't love her… not anymore…' Naruto thought as he closed his eyes.

"Naruto?" a sweet female voice caused his crystal blue eyes to shoot open.

"Sa…Sakura-chan?" Naruto stuttered unsure of how long she had been their and what exactly he had said out loud.

Sakura giggled slightly the sight of Naruto fumbling for words brought back memories from a less complicated time in their lives.

Naruto's eyes scanned the pink haired kunoichi noticing she hadn't bothered to put her cold weather garments back on instead opting to wrap one of the heavy down blankets around her well built body instead.

"What are you doing up here Naruto? You will catch a cold," Sakura berated him.

"Who are you my mother?" Naruto huffed as he looked away.

"No… I am not your mother," Sakura sighed looking away.

"What do you want Sakura?" Naruto sighed not really wanting to have a conversation.

"I couldn't really sleep and… well… I wanted to know what you were up," Sakura stuttered as she looked away slightly embarassed.

"You should go back to bed Sakura-chan you will need your strength," Naruto replied not bothering to look at her instead focusing his keen eyes on the moon that hung above them.

"It is killing you isn't?" Sakura whispered.

"Yes," Naruto replied.

"Naruto you shouldn't worry just bring us back alive that is your mission right?" Sakura gave Naruto a fake smile hoping he would buy it.

"How…?" Naruto asked.

"Huh?" Sakura stared at the blonde.

"How can you expect me to allow this to happen?" Naruto hissed whipping around so he could stare the young women in the eyes.

Sakura made a move to look away worried, Naruto would be able to see the lack of hope and the saddness in her eyes. But Naruto strong hands stopped her movements as he whipped her around forcing her to face him.

"Do you expect me to let this happen? Huh!?" Naruto screamed.

"Yes…" Sakura whispered.

"What!? I didn't hear you Sakura!" Naruto screamed.

"I said yes! God damnit!" Sakura cried tears filling her eyes.

Sakura tore her self away from Naruto's grasp sinking to her knees as sobs began to rack her body. Naruto just stood there staring at her as she cried slamming her fist into the resorts roof. Naruto turned away not able to look at the girl anymore pushing chakra into his legs he was about to jump away when Sakura's hand grabbed his wrist.

"I can't do this without you Naruto," Sakura whispered as her tears fell.

"You're asking me to allow you and Ino to go throgh with this?" Naruto responded as he attempted to pull his arm away.

"Yes, you have to let us," Sakura whispered.

"I can't," Naruto responded.

"Why!?" Sakura screamed.

"You know fucking why!" Naruto yelled back pulling his wrist free from Sakura's powerful grasp as he took a few steps away from the crying kunoichi.

"What are you going to do Naruto, run away!?" Sakura screamed pulling herself to her feet.

The words sunk into Naruto's head causing him to stop and look back over his shoulder.

"When did you get so strong Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered as he stared into her emerald green eyes.

She stood their in silence searching his crystal blue eyes for answers the cold had begun to numb her bare feet as she shivered. Naruto moved almost instinctively as he wrapped his heavy cape around the shivering women.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Sakura whispered as she pulled the crimson cloth around her shoulders welcoming its warmth.

"No, I'm sorry Sakura-chan. I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to protect you from this," Naruto whispered.

"Its not your fault baka," Sakura replied.

"I… know," Naruto whispered his fist tightening.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Sakura asked.

"Tell you what?" Naruto questioned.

"About the seals and your battle with the Kyuubi we would have understood," Sakura explained.

"I was afraid," Naruto replied as he tilted his head causing his thick golden hair to cover his eyes.

"Afraid? Of what?" Sakura stared at the blonde trying to peer into his eyes.

"I didn't want you to think of me like a monster, I still want to be Naruto, just Naruto," Naruto whispered a single tear streaming down his face.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered.

"I just couldn't bare it if you had looked at me like that, not you," Naruto whispered.

"I-I…" Sakura stuttered.

"We should get some sleep Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled looking at her with his eyes tightly shut.

'You won't let me see your eyes will you Naruto, after all they are the only way to tell how you really feel,' Sakura thought.

Naruto moved swiftly as he motioned for the pink haired kunoichi to follow him. He quickly closed the distance between their roof top perch to the balcony leading to their room. Sakura watched intently as Naruto carefully allowed himself to fall into the thick mattress.

"Naruto… I need to tell you something…" Sakura whispered as she slid into bed beside a sleeping Ino turning to face Naruto quickly noticing he wasn't facing her.

"Get some sleep Sakura-chan," was the blonde's only response.

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long just been busy with stuff. Please Review. If there are any questions about the chapter I will be glad to answer them. I still haven't really decided whether the story is going to be Sakura x Naruto or Naruto x Sakura x Ino. I just don't know yet. Thank you again for your patience.

Hiraishin no Jutsu: Flying Thunder God Techinque

Fuuja Houin: Five Prong Seal, the seal used by Orochimaru to limit the Kyuubi's charka in the Forest of Death.

Shishou Fuuin: Four Season Seal, the seal used by the Fourth Hokage to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto.


	10. Chapter 10: Border Wars

Premonitions

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews I really appreciate them especially since it seems to take me so long to get the chapters out. Sorry about that.

A few answers to peoples questions. The first chapter will play a pivotal role in this story but not for some time. I just thought it needed to be in the summary and first chapter the kind of tie everything together for later.

I still haven't decided on whether it should be Naruto x Sakura or Naruto x Ino or Ino x Naruto x Sakura. Mainly because I am kind of writing this story on the fly and feel differently about what path Naruto and the other characters should take. But I will take suggestions about pairings especially minor ones.

Sorry again for the extremely late update. Please Read & Review.

**Chapter 10: Border Wars**

Sakura squinted as she tried to open her eyes; the sunlight shining through the window opposite made it difficult for her eyes to adjust.

"Morning already?" she huffed as she turned over hoping her body would allow her a few more minutes of rest.

She stared at the blonde nest to her still fast asleep with sad eyes. She wanted to cry, to let out all of the pent up emotions, but told herself she couldn't.

'Today is the day huh?' she thought as she stared lazily at Ino's long blonde hair sticking out of the tangle of blankets and pillows.

"You awake Sakura?" Ino's deflated voice questioned.

"Yeah I'm here," Sakura responded pushing her unwilling torso up into a sitting position.

The sun stung her eyes but they finally began to adjust to the morning light. She quickly noticed their other companion was no where to be found. But after last night's conversation that fact really didn't surprise her.

"Where is Naruto?" Ino questioned as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"He is around here someplace," Sakura shrugged as she once again wrapped a blanket around her slim body and headed toward the shower.

"Who said you got the shower first Fore-head?" Ino questioned.

Sakura didn't bother responding as she pushed the door to the bathroom open and shut it behind her.

"You better not use all the hot water!" Ino screamed as she flopped back down into the mess of covers.

The shower had already been used that morning Sakura quickly concluded as one of the towels laid haphazardly across the top of the toilet.

'Plus it smells like him,' Sakura added to herself.

For some reason it made her smile to know that Naruto still used the same cheap herbal shampoo he always had. It reaffirmed the fact that despite his own acknowledgments he was still Naruto. She took in the smell suddenly intoxicated by the odor as well as the rapidly warming air as she turned on the water.

Ino flopped about in the bed trying to will herself back to sleep. She didn't want to think what this day would bring. They would cross the border and as soon as they did she felt as if there really was no turning back. She kept hoping they would be attack by a group of rouge ninja had be discovered. Then they would have to return to Konoha their cover blown and mission failed. She wondered how Naruto was taking all of this; he seemed to become more depressed and distant by the day.

'It must be killing him,' she thought to herself as she rolled over onto her stomach.

She suddenly wondered why she was worrying about Naruto at a time like this, when she should be thinking about how to keep her self alive for the next three months. But try as she might she couldn't get the blonde out of her head. And suddenly she understood why she was doing this, why she had agreed to go on this mission.

'I love him,' she thought almost surprised by the answer she had come up with.

'But not just him but all of them,' she pondered as the images of her friends and family shot through her head.

"Humph, I finally understand how you feel Naruto," Ino whispered to herself.

She wasn't doing this because she was ordered to or because it was her duty as a kunoichi but because if she didn't the people she cared about may get hurt or worst. A content smile spread across her face as the flash in her eyes revealed her new found determination. She would not only survive this mission but accomplish its goal.

'And if those bastards thing I'm going to just give it up that easy they've got another thing coming,' she boasted into her mind.

Naruto gulped down another glass of sake before setting the small cup down in front of him. The bartender had been rather surprised to say the least when his current patron had been waiting on him when he arrived at dawn. The blonde had immediately ordered a bottle of sake and had not even sat down by the time the first glass disappeared down his throat.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" the middle aged man asked as Naruto finished off his third bottle.

He wasn't complaining the blonde shinobi had tipped him well for opening up the bar several hours early but now he was generally beginning to worry about the young man.

"I'm fine one more please," the blonde responded his voice not even hinting at the enormous amount of alcohol in his system.

"Rough mission?" the dark haired man asked as the blondes blue eyes locked with his.

"You should know better then to ask about a shinobi's mission," Naruto threatened suddenly on guard.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to pry it's just you seem to want to drown your sorrows and fears away in here instead of facing them," the bartender replied shrugging his shoulders.

"Thanks for the advice," Naruto spit out sarcastically.

"Not a problem," the bartender replied coldly as he moved away.

'What the fuck is his problem?' Naruto thought as he swallowed another glass of sake.

His eyes roamed over the bar finally falling on the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He sighed hanging his head in defeat before grabbing the bottle and draining its contents down his throat.

'I guess I should get going they are both probably awake by now,' Naruto mused as he pulled out some cash and slammed it down on the bar.

"Keep the change pal!" Naruto called as he made his way to the door.

"Thanks for the tip," the bartender called after Naruto as he exited the door.

"I look forward to our next encounter Uzumaki Naruto," the man whispered as he disappeared into the shadows.

"Naruto slowly dragged himself up the stairs to his room almost forgetting to knock as he reached for the door handle.

'Shit that would have been bad,' Naruto thought realizing the severe beating he would receive if the room's inhabitants were not completely dressed when he entered.

He knocked hard twice before Ino's voice called out, "I'm coming!"

Ino allowed the door to open only a crack and even allowed herself an audible sigh of relief when she realized it was Naruto on the other side of the door.

"I figured you would come through the window or something Naruto," Ino commented as she let the larger man enter carefully returning the kunai she had been holding to its carefully selected hiding spot.

"I've learned not to barge in when Sakura-chan is around," the blonde smiled as he rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed.

The action got him a short giggle out of Ino before she pushed him aside so she could shut the door.

Naruto quickly noticed the shower was on and moved to gather his pack so he could wait for the two girls to finish bathing and dressing. He gave Ino a small nod as he stuffed his long cape inside his pack.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Ino questioned.

"The bartender was a bit too interested in my mission so I need to change my appearance some just in case he sends information on us to the border. It will be tough enough sneaking through with out knowing who to look for," Naruto explained as he pulled another roll of training wraps out of one of the side pockets.

Ino watched as Naruto began to wrap the bindings carefully around his head attempting to conceal the majority of his blonde hair.

"Come here," Ino motioned.

"Why?" Naruto questioned giving the kunoichi a quizzical look.

"I can do a much better job then that hiding your hair and face Naruto," Ino responded.

"Why cause you're a women?" Naruto gave her a stern look.

"No baka because I'm a medic and I know how to apply bandages," Ino responded sternly.

"Oh…" Naruto shrugged pulling off the poor attempt and handing the onyx colored wraps to Ino.

Sakura sighed as she turned off the hot water realizing she needed to make sure Ino had some hot water left or she would hear about it for rest of the mission. Wrapping a towel loosely around her body she stepped out of the shower. A muffled grunt made her flex instinctively as she leaned closer the door, training her ears to the sounds coming from the bedroom.

"Ino it is too tight!" Naruto grunted.

"It is supposed to be Naruto!" Ino huffed back.

"What the hell are…you…two…!" Sakura screamed as she slammed to door open revealing the two ninja.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto fumbled for words as the towel wrapped around the pink haired women's body slipped lower.

"Done already Sakura?" Ino questioned as she turned to face her friend.

Sakura stood there flabbergasted as she realized Naruto and Ino were not engaging in the activity she had originally thought. A deep red blush crossed her cheeks as she turned quickly and shut the bathroom door behind her.

"What was that about...?" Ino questioned as she noticed Naruto's longing gaze.

"Huh?" Naruto responded.

"Hey lover boy you still like her don't you," Ino whispered into Naruto's ears sending shivers up his spine.

"I-It's not like that Ino, I-I swear," Naruto once again fumbled for words causing Ino to giggle at the twenty year old.

"Just remember there are other options Naruto," Ino whispered as she ran her index finger down his neck and across his shoulder causing him to give her a defeated, yet surprisingly desperate look.

Getting the reaction Ino wanted she quickly finished concealing Naruto's face and golden hair except for a few longer locks that stuck out from the tight wrappings around his head. Naruto quickly moved to the other side of the room adjusting the wraps in hope of making them slightly more comfortable and making sure he could still communicate with the two women.

Gathering his equipment he strapped his ninjato around his waist making sure it was in easy each as he strapped a pair of kunai holsters to his legs. The now heavily armed Naruto made his way to the far window before turning just in time to see Sakura reemerge from the bathroom fully dressed in her normal attire.

"I'll be waiting outside," Naruto announced as he dropped some what carelessly out of the window.

"What's with the mask?" Sakura questioned as Ino gathered her things and proceeded toward the bathroom.

"He said something about the bartender being a little too interested in his mission so he felt a change in appearance was warranted," Ino answered as she entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Sakura moved across the room to gather her bag and make sure of their approximant location. She needed to come up with a plan before they attempted to cross the border. Normally crossing the border would not be a problem for skilled shinobi like them but with the build up of Cloud shinobi in the vicinity just jumping the border could turn into an ambush.

'Three hours till we hit the border,' Sakura reasoned as the heard the water in the shower come on.

The problem wasn't really her and Ino, they could control their chakra to an extent that even jounin level shinobi could not detect them, but Naruto was a completely different story. His large chakra reserves made it almost impossible for the man to hide in plain sight like Ino and herself could.

'Unless…' Sakura smirked as her keen mind set to work on the finer points of her plan.

For what seemed like an hour Naruto leaned against an ancient evergreen waiting for the two women to join him at the edge of town. He quickly discovered he missed the concealment his cape had offered him. He felt exposed even with the bandages hiding his face and hair.

"Naruto! You should have waited for us in town," Ino yelled as she and Sakura approached the blonde.

"I needed some fresh air," Naruto responded as he pushed himself away from the great tree and turned north.

An hour passed as the three ninja sped through the canopy hoping to reach the border just before mid day. Naruto led the way keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding forest as well as the two kunoichi following him. Suddenly he changed directions mid air as he rebounded off a tree branch and disappeared into the undergrowth. Sakura and Ino were immediately at his side hands poised the draw their weapons.

"Naruto..?" Sakura whispered.

"Quite," Naruto hissed his commanding tone caused the pink haired kunoichi to recoil a bit.

Naruto's crystal blue eyes scanned the undergrowth as his keen ears listened to the surrounding woods searching a clue to the location of the hidden foe. Suddenly a twig snapped several hundred yards to their west.

"There!" Naruto yelled as an almost invisible kunai shot through the undergrowth toward the sound.

A muffled groan singled the kunai had struck its target. Naruto moved slowly his right hand angled toward the hilt of his ninjato in anticipation. Pushing through the last bit of bush he examined his fallen adversary.

"Shit…" Naruto groaned.

"Nice… Baka-Naruto," Sakura sighed.

"I feel really safe with you now Naruto," Ino giggled.

The three ninja stood over the now deceased boar. Naruto had an annoyed look on his face as the two kunoichi giggled over the man's victory. Naruto pulled his kunai from a boulder at the far side of the small clearing the squad now inhabited.

"Did you really need to use so much chakra Naruto you threw that kunai through three trees, a wild boar, and halfway through a boulder," Ino joked as she threw an arm around the young man pulling him into a headlock.

"Shut up," Naruto pouted.

"Oh come on Naruto you haven't done something like this since you were a genin," Sakura joked as she playfully punched him in the ribs.

"I'm sorry for being cautious Sakura and Ino can you let me head go now?" Naruto questioned before exploding into a cloud of smoke.

"Damn Shadow Clones!" Ino yelled as Naruto's laughter echoed through the canopy.

Naruto reappeared beside the two perturbed women as Sakura reached into her bag pulling a map of the surrounding area out for the three of them to analyze. She and Ino kneeled down beside a tree as Naruto peered over them as he settled for leaning against the trunk.

"I have a plan to get us across the border. It should get us across the border with out accidentally running into a group of Cloud ninja and blow our mission," Sakura announced to the two blondes.

"What is your plan Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked quickly realizing his normal charge right in and sort things out on the fly approach wasn't best.

"Yeah Fore-head let's hear it," Ino added.

"Ok we are going to walk right through the front door," Sakura started.

"Um… I don't know if that is a good idea Sakura-chan I can't really suppress my chakra like you two can," Naruto interrupted.

"I know that Baka, and I have accounted for that. Give me your fore-head protector," Sakura continued.

"Huh!? Why?" Naruto questioned the quizzical look on his face hidden by the improvised mask.

"Cause your going to pose a missing nin," Sakura answered as she reached for Naruto's forehead protector.

"What about the two of you?" Naruto questioned as he reluctantly removed the black piece of cloth from his head.

Sakura grabbed the fore-head protector from Naruto and removed a kunai from her holster.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Naruto yelled as Sakura drug the sharp blade across the Leaf symbol leaving a deep gash.

"Here put it back on!" Sakura ordered as Naruto pouted over his now disfigured treasure.

"You still haven't answered my question Sakura," Naruto hissed as he reluctantly returned the dishonored symbol to his fore-head.

"Ino and I will be posing as village girls you have taken hostage," Sakura responded as she pulled her bag open and began searching for something.

"Why don't the two of you just pose as missing nins too?" Naruto commented silently wondering why he was the only one of the three who had to sacrifice his mark as a Leaf shinobi for this plan.

"Because Naruto if we disguise ourselves now there will be no need to again and should they happen to be keeping track of people passing through the border into the Lightning country they will have us on file," Sakura explained.

Naruto couldn't help but be impressed; he had been trying to come up with a good plan to get them across the border all morning after all. But then again planning wasn't really his strongest attribute; while he could come up with battle tactics on the fly he rarely ever had a concrete plan at the beginning of a fight. Most of the time he just charged straight in and let his superior fighting ability keep him alive until he figured something out.

As much as he liked the plan Sakura had thought up he had rising suspicion that had Shikamaru been in their company this plan would be drastically different. As intelligent as Sakura was she was not Shikamaru nor did she pretend to be.

"Probably not as good as one of Shikamaru's plans but it's the best I could come up with on such short notice," Sakura announced, echoing Naruto's thoughts, as she pulled out a rather plain komodo.

"So that is why you made me bring that ghastly piece of clothing you bought," Ino concluded as she began rummaging through her own bag.

"Naruto make yourself scarce for a while we need to change," Sakura announced.

"R-Right," Naruto hopped up seemingly searching for a place to hide.

"No peaking!" Ino commanded as Naruto disappeared into the canopy.

Naruto moved off in a northern direction knowing when the two kunoichi were finished they would simply find him. Something Sakura had said was bothering him.

'I really haven't made a mistake like that since I was a genin,' Naruto thought as he slowed to a walk.

It didn't make sense to him he been trained extremely well to distinguish between regular noises and those made by hidden enemies. The boar had been killed by his kunai there was no denying that, but something was wrong.

'Sakura or Ino would have sensed a spike in chakra if there had been someone hiding nearby,' Naruto reassured himself.

Satisfied he really had just made a stupid mistake Naruto let his guard down slightly and canceled the five shadow clones perched in a defensive pattern around the two changing women.

'Wow I really didn't peak,' Naruto grinned as the shadow clones experiences where added to his own.

The two kunoichi quickly rejoined Naruto after several minutes of walking and he quickly notice the two had abandoned their bags.

"Are you sure it is a good idea to leave your bags behind I mean don't they have all your supplies in them?" Naruto questioned.

"Don't worry Naruto we still have all the essentials hidden on us just in case but we can't look like we are carrying any supplies since you kidnapped us," Ino answered as the two girls fell in line along side Naruto.

"Let's just get to the border and get this over with," Sakura ordered as the three ninja pushed through the dense evergreen forest toward the border.

"Wow Sempai he almost got you," a large man with a surprisingly high voice giggled as the three Leaf ninja exited the area.

"Shut up, Katatsumuri," a smaller man growled beside him.

"But Sempai if you hadn't use a _Kawarimi no Jutsu _with that boar you would be severely wounded," Katatsumuri replied.

"I told you to shut up; we need to report back to the Order. Let's get out of here," the smaller man hissed as he melded into the shadows.

"Sempai wait up!" the larger man squealed as he exploded into a thousand water droplets.

The three Leaf ninja peered through the underbrush at bridge that straddled the river between the Fire country and Lightning country. There seemed to be a few guards standing watch on the Lightning country side but the appeared to be just normal solders.

The three had carefully by passed the Fire country guards that were stationed up the road top of a hill where they could easily observe traffic on the bridge and road beyond. Naruto had hidden his newly damaged forehead protector in one of his pant's pockets just in case they ran into an over zealous Cloud shinobi. Now all they needed was a merchant caravan to use as cover to make it safely into the Lightning country.

"Looks like we might have a winner," Ino whispered as a small caravan appeared through the gate at the Fire country check point.

"Now all we have to do is wait for it to cross the no man's land and we will blend right in and be in the Lightning country before you know it," Sakura grinned happy her plan was working to perfection.

Naruto pulled long strong piece of rope from his bag and handed the rope and his bag to Sakura.

"Why are you giving this too me Naruto?" Sakura questioned as she didn't bother taking either item from the blonde.

"Tie Ino's and your hands together and carry my pack," Naruto whispered.

"What?" Ino responded.

"You said yourself you two needed to look like my prisoners," Naruto sighed as he pushed the rope into Sakura's hands.

"No wait a damn minute," Ino hissed under her breathe.

"We don't have time Ino just do it," Sakura sighed as the caravan neared the three hidden ninja.

The caravan moved slowly across the no man's land between the two borders. Naruto stole a glance toward the opposite side of the bridge realizing the Lightning country guards had realized they were going to have visitors.

"Now," Naruto whispered as he and his supposed captives appeared beside one of the wagons.

The wagon's driver noticed the new arrivals quicker then Naruto had anticipated and opened his mouth to say something.

"Quite old man," Naruto whispered flashing his forehead protector.

The man turned and looked Sakura square in the eyes. Sakura returned the man's gaze but pulled off the act wonderfully. Her seemly sad eyes begged the man to say something but at the same time told the older man, her captor would kill him.

Naruto looked slowly over his shoulder and to his relief the Fire country guards seemed not to have noticed the three new arrivals to the caravan. He gave the rope in his hand a hard tug pulling Ino and Sakura violently forward causing the two to turn their eyes to the ground.

The wagons move slowly across the river as the bridge under them groaned at their weight. The first of the five wagons had just reached the checkpoint on the far side of the river.

This was the most dangerous time for the three Leaf ninja the fact that Sakura and Ino were actually bound made Naruto the only one capable of defending the other two should they be ambushed. They would have to wait their turn any suspicious behavior would cause too much attention.

"Next!" a rather fat guard ordered as Naruto stepped up to the check point's gate.

The guard looked Naruto over and then turned his attention to the two women being pulled along behind him.

"Nice they from the Fire country?" the guard questioned Naruto as stared at Ino licking his lips.

"Who knows," Naruto smiled.

"Where you headed?" the plump guard questioned.

"Just up the road a bit need to unload my wares and get a good stiff drink," Naruto said a sinister look in his eyes.

"You mean Namjoshi village?" the guard questioned.

"That's the place heard they are in need of what I happen to be selling," Naruto grinned as he pulled the rope tight again causing the two women behind him to step forward tentatively.

"I'll say all the whores there look like shit. Not like these two fine young things you have here," the guard grunted as he ran a finger through Sakura's hair.

Naruto's hand was at the hilt of his sword ready to draw in an instant.

"Don't touch the merchandise _friend_," Naruto hissed making sure the guard understood his threat.

"Guess I'll have to wait until my leave to get a hold of this one," the guard sighed as he gave one last lecherous look before giving the signal to open the gate behind him.

Naruto didn't say a word as he lead Sakura and Ino through the check point and onto the road that lead up into the mountains that dominated the Lightning country.

"Better check them out Hibari-san," the guard commented as he took a bite out of piece of bread.

"I know you fat piece of shit that guy was putting out enough chakra that even you should have been able to feel it," the Cloud shinobi hidden behind a tree commented as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Fucking shinobi," the guard hissed as he motioned to the next wagon to move up for inspection.

Naruto casually walked through the rolling hills that marked the beginning of the mountains. His and his companions' destination rested in these foot hills and they were only hours away from arriving. Naruto had slowed his pace carefully to let the rest of the caravan overtake him as the wagons inched along at a leisurely pace. Now they were all but out of sight as the last one disappeared around a bend in the road.

"Naru…" Ino started but was quickly silenced by the back of Naruto's right hand.

"I thought I told you two to SHUT THE FUCK UP!" the blonde screamed at his two captives.

Ino pressed her bound hands to her face attempting to hide the amount of pain she was in. Naruto had not pulled the punch at the last moment as she had expected and as she pulled her hands away she saw she was now bleeding from her mouth.

Sakura stared at Naruto like had had grown another head. Her eyes questioned him as he gave her an icy glare telling her she better do as he said. She wanted to ask him just what the hell he was doing but he turned away from her.

"You can come out now I know you are here!" Naruto yelled his eyes scanning the evergreen trees that surrounded the well used road.

"Well I am surprised you were able to detect me what with all the chakra leaking from your own body," a shadow shouted back as it emerged from the dense forest canopy.

Sakura took a quick glance at the Cloud shinobi that had appeared before them. He was only about as tall as she was and was not very muscular. In a way he reminded her of Kakashi-sensei, especially the way a mask concealed most of his face. His drape tan hair spilled out of his forehead protector reaching almost to his ear lopes before stopping an arrangement of braids and locks.

"I see they still have some fight in…, oh what did you call them, ah… yes… your merchandise," the Cloud shinobi announced as he dropped into the road in front of the trio.

"And you are?" Naruto questioned his muscles tensing in anticipation.

"Hibari of the Gake Clan," the Cloud shinobi announce as he bowed slightly careful not to take his eyes off the larger blonde.

"I see and what business is it of yours what condition my property is in?" Naruto responded his eyes narrowing.

Sakura was suddenly very worried she could tell this guy wanted a fight and knowing Naruto he wouldn't have to try very hard to get one. Plus there was the fact this guy didn't look like a push over by any means, while she was unable to sense his chakra or his approach because of the fact her chakra was so far suppressed. She could feel the rather large amounts of killer intent rolling off the gray clad shinobi.

"Well you see it is my job to investigate strangers who cross the border into Lightning country territory and as you are standing in the Lightning country I will need to know who you really are," the smaller man announced the large grin easily visible despite the mask he wore.

Naruto reluctantly reached into his pocket and tossed the man his forehead protector. The enemy shinobi examined it for a moment and tossed it back.

"So you are a missing Nin from Konoha?" the man questioned.

"That's right I heard a story that the Cloud was offering jobs to missing Nins thought I check it out see if it is worth my precious time," Naruto responded the small grin he wore easily allowed the other man to see his slightly elongated canines.

Naruto knew that telling the ninja what he knew about the Cloud village's recruitment of missing Nins was a huge risk. But Naruto was forced into taking it and now this encounter would end only one of two ways.

"And them?" the Cloud shinobi spat obviously annoyed at the thought of more scum being in his country.

'Why do we need them anyway, fucking traitors, they can't be trusted,' the man thought as he watched the three carefully.

"Just some village girls I picked up near my old stomping grounds, thought I could have my way with them and then sell them off to the highest bidder. One thing is for sure they know how to raise them in the fire country," Naruto responded as he pulled Ino by the hair up to his eye level to get a good look at the damage he had inflicted.

"Very well, you are heading to Namjoshi village correct?" the Cloud shinobi questioned turning a blind eye to the way the missing Nin treated the two women.

"Yeah I heard that is the best place to relieve myself of some unwanted weight," Naruto responded nodding his head in the girls' direction.

"Your name?" the Hibari questioned.

"Kazehitsugi Tsume," Naruto responded without a second thought.

"Well then Tsume when you arrive in Namjoshi go to the bar named Arechi. They will be expecting you," Hibari announced as he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Naruto frowned as his keen eyes searched the canopy to ensure the enemy shinobi really had departed. Deciding it was safe he continued his trek north his two companions trailed silently behind him. All three had realized by now that their normal friendly conversations where a thing of the past. They were in enemy territory now and as much as it pained Naruto to do it he had no choice but treat the two women in his protection like they were his prisoners.

Sakura followed the blonde in silence a sense of dread growing with each reluctant step. At times she actually paused but Naruto quickly pulled the weary girls along. Unfortunately for Ino, without the ability to use any medical jutsu, the swelling now dominated the right side of her face and was beginning to bruise. The two women kept their eyes focused on the ground in front of them as much as possible. Naruto would occasionally spare a sympathetic look over his shoulder even managing to catch Ino looking at him momentarily.

'Damn it,' Naruto thought allowed the girls a slight rest at a small stream a few hundred yards from the road.

Ino immediately headed down to the water to inspect for herself the damage Naruto had inflicted. Sakura moved to help her as Naruto pulled out a rough map of the area and attempted to figure out just where they were. Sakura helped Ino adjust her bangs so the majority of the bruising was covered by her platinum blonde hair. As soon as the two kunoichi were finished they awkwardly approached Naruto and sat down nearby careful not to disturb him.

The act was starting to break Naruto down. He had had trouble enough not pulling the punch to Ino's face but now the enduring silence between the three allies was beginning to worry him. He couldn't just come out and say he was sorry it was too much of a risk. While he could no longer sense the Cloud shinobi who they had encountered since he disappeared there was no assurance he wasn't nearby.

'I hate this,' Naruto mused as the realized they were only a few miles from their destination.

He arose slowly a disturbed look in his eyes as he approached the two women. He pulled a kunai from his holster on his right thigh as moved closer. He pulled Ino to her feet and cut a strip of her now dirty kimono off with the kunai before gagging her. Ino shot a questioning look at Naruto but he never bothered to look at her. He threw her down roughly as he moved on to Sakura.

Naruto picked her up and was about to repeat the cutting of her kimono when he stopped. He returned the kunai to its holster and stared at the pink haired kunoichi before him. He then unleashed a sickening grin that caused Sakura heart to actually quiver for a moment.

The blonde slammed the young women against a nearby tree a muffled groan escaped her lips as his mouth moved for her neck and his powerful legs pushed between hers. His lips stopped millimeters away from her pale skin his hot breath caused her heart to beat wildly.

"Naruto?" Sakura whimpered.

His blue eyes locked onto hers and he realized at this moment she was afraid. He quickly broke eye contact as his left arm pulled her bound hands higher against the tree and his right quickly encircled her waist.

"Sakura I need you to make sure there are no other ninja in the area," Naruto whispered the words barely audible to Sakura.

"O…Ok," Sakura swallowed as she realized this was all part of the act.

The pink haired medical ninja concentrated as she released a small amount of chakra into her system. Instantly her senses became sharper as she concentrated on searching for even the slightest chakra signature. She felt Naruto's powerful forearm tighten around her waist as he tensed just in case she found something.

"There is no one around Naruto," Sakura whispered as Naruto breathed a long awaited sigh of relief.

Naruto removed the kunai again from his holster as he quickly released Sakura from her bindings and moved toward Ino. Naruto removed her bindings and the piece of cloth gagging her as he pushed her long bangs aside to inspect the bruise. He gave her and apologetic look as he ran the back of his fingers down her cheek.

He half expected her to hit him back when he finally helped her to her feet instead her long arms encircled his neck as she collapsed into his chest. A muffled sob escaped from her trembling body as Naruto froze at the contact.

"I-I thought you…you…" Ino coughed.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Ino, Sakura," Naruto whispered as he turned his apologetic gaze toward Sakura who quickly turned away looking like she was about to cry.

"You didn't have a choice Naruto," Sakura responded her back turned from the two blondes.

"Did you really believe I had abandoned you?" Naruto questioned.

"It was only for a second but yes," Sakura whispered her fist tightening into balls.

She was angry at herself for actually believing Naruto would turn on them like that but his acting had been so believable especially when he had hit Ino she for just a moment let doubt creep into her heart.

"Ino?" Naruto looked at the blonde embracing him.

"…Yes," Ino whispered as she released her grip and slipped away from the tall blonde.

"I see…" Naruto whispered his head now full of worry.

'They need to know that I won't abandon them. There cannot be even the slightest bit of doubt in their minds,' Naruto thought his brain working hard to come up with a solution.

"You know a few years ago during my training with Ero-Sennin I had given up all hope," Naruto commented as he looked solemnly at the ground.

Sakura and Ino both turned to the young man seemingly urging him to go on.

"But when things looked the bleakest and when I was in the most pain I would only think about one thing. It was a gift from my best friend, the one person I knew I could always count on, that got me through the worst of the trials," Naruto continued as he untied the crimson ribbon from his right bicep.

He stood there in silence as he stared at the worn piece of cloth in his hands before moving toward the two women. He reach out and took Ino's hand in his and dropped the crimson ribbon into her hands before closing her fingers around it. He stole a glimpse at Sakura who looked like she was about to completely fall apart and she quickly looked away from the new couple.

"It was because of you that I came back Sakura," Naruto smiled as he approached her trembling form.

He gently lifted her face so he could look at her in the eyes as he noticed the tears that threatened to spill out at any moment. Whipping the tears from her eyes he reached down underneath his outer shirt and exposed the green crystal that hung from his neck.

Sakura knew the importance of the relic he now held in front of her as her own green eyes reflected off it's emerald surface. He gave the necklace a gentle tug causing the knot to dislodge as he pulled the necklace off. He again took Sakura's hand in his as he gently placed the necklace in her palm and closed her fingers around it.

"You two now hold my too most precious possessions in the world, but know that they mean nothing compared to the two women who wear them," Naruto whispered as he turned away leaving the two girls to stare at their newly inherited treasures.

A/N: This chapter was extremely hard for me to write plus it seemed like I had no time at all to write it. I apologize again for the utter lack of updates and I hope I can start on the next chapter as soon as possible.

Just so you all know I am moving to Arkansas because I got a job there so if the next chapter takes forever again it is probably because of this move.

As I have said before I believe the first chapter will tie into this story at future time but not in the near future. I hope to finish this ark in the next few chapters but we will see. Also I still have no clue who Naruto is going to end up with in this story because I have started to think of this story as a threesome story but at the same time it could go back to being a Naruto x Sakura or even a Naruto x Ino story if I get crafty.

Again Thank your for reading and Please review.


	11. Chapter 11: Agony

Premonitions

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

Summary: Sasuke's death is on Naruto's hands and he's depressed. Can Sakura and the rest bring him out of his depression before the Kyuubi takes advantage of the situation? And the kunoichis' nightmares are just that right.

A/N: As usual thank you all for the reviews almost to 150. I am finally unpack and kind of settled in down here in the South so I am going to try and work on the story a lot more since I have a lot more time since I have no friends down here yet.

Oh I have decided what Naruto's pairing is going to be. But I can't tell you cause then why would you read. Anyway enjoy the Chapter.

**Chapter 11: Agony**

Naruto stopped causing his two prisoners to collapse on the cold ground exhausted. He had to give it to Sakura and Ino their acting was superb the two actually looked like they could barely walk another step. He sighed heavily as he looked up at the village gate noticing it was partially shrouded in a dense fog that had begun to roll into the mountain valley.

He waited carefully not making any sudden moves he could feel the ninja around him moving carefully through the fog. Naruto's had moved slowly pulling his disfigured fore-head protector out of his pocket and affixed it to his right arm.

"A missing ninja from Konoha huh?" a sweet female voice escaped from the fog.

"I would appreciate it if you would show yourself when you speak to me," Naruto commanded harshly.

Naruto figured there where at least four Cloud shinobi surrounding him and his companions. What worried him was the fact his own chakra was masking the locations of the carefully hidden shinobi.

"Very well," the voice conceded as a silver haired Cloud kunoichi appeared a mere yard in front of the blond shinobi.

"I guess it would be too much to ask for your companions to show themselves as well?" Naruto questioned giving the attractive women a seductive grin.

"Sorry but until I determine whether you are who you claim to be my companions will remain where they are," the kunoichi responded crossing her bare arms across her rather large chest.

"Very well, I see you are slightly more cautious then some of your country men," Naruto responded yanking the two women from behind him to the ground at his feet.

The Cloud kunoichi visibly scowled at the large blonde man as she watched the two women in front of him attempt to gather themselves on the cold, muddy ground. The women's reaction told Naruto something very important. The fact she disapproved of his actions toward Sakura and Ino meant he could use that weakness if needed. Also the fact the two women were now between him and her left little doubt in her mind he was not trying to protect the two of them.

"And these two?" the women questioned as she gave Sakura and Ino a once over.

"Village girls from the Fire country planning on selling them to the highest bidder," Naruto explained.

"Their families?" the silver haired women questioned.

"Well they won't come looking for them if that is what you are asking," Naruto grinned sinisterly.

"Their names?" the cloud ninja questioned generally surprising Naruto.

Naruto shrugged and grabbed Sakura by her hair causing the pink haired women to grit her teeth in an attempt not to scream from the pain.

"Tell her your name," Naruto commanded as he pulled Sakura to her feet.

"Suki," Sakura responded giving the women a pleading look.

"And her?" the women questioned trying not to acknowledge Sakura's look.

"Nazomi, Ino respond as she stared at the ground attempting to hide the bruise that now adorns her face.

The Cloud kunoichi sighed apparently torn between her mission and the fact she hated the idea of these two women being sold into a life of being degraded and raped on a daily basis.

"And what would your name be beautiful?" Naruto questioned interrupting the woman's conflicted thoughts.

Naruto knew exactly what he was doing, despite the fact that Ino and Sakura both thought he was crazy for provoking the Cloud kunoichi like that. He could use this woman to gain access to Namjoshi village. If he could make this woman hate him enough a feel sorry enough for the two women currently in his care he could get himself past the kunoichi without giving up to much information that could place the two kunoichi in his care in even more danger.

"Hanabira Shimo," the women spat giving Naruto a threatening look.

"Well Shimo-chan how bout we go get some ramen sometime?" Naruto questioned.

He could easily hide his feelings and rather gentle nature but hiding his love for ramen was something else all together.

Sakura was secretly fuming. Going to get ramen with Naruto was something reserved for her and her alone. Now Naruto was offering this women the chance Sakura would have jumped at. As much as Sakura wanted to hate the woman she really did thank the woman was attractive. Her long silver hair ended at the small of her back and her figure was athletic and thin. It didn't help the fact she seemed unaffected by the cold and was rather sparsely dressed for the weather.

The scantly clad kunoichi glared at Naruto as if he were crazy. Why on earth would she go on a date with a man as sinister as the one before her? A twig snapped somewhere in the fog causing Shimo to glare off into the fog toward the position of her youngest subordinate. Shimo also didn't miss the fact the blonde shinobi's eyes moved with her own signaling he too had heard the sound and now knew the position of one of her allies.

"Having trouble with one of your comrades Shimo-chan?" the former Konoha shinobi questioned a stupid grin easily detectable behind his mask.

"Stop calling me that! If you don't want me to get serious," Shimo warned her glare returning to the big blondes crystal blue eyes.

"We wouldn't want that Shimo-chan now would we?" Naruto grinned pressing his luck.

"I usually ask the names of men I'm about to kill but I'm going to make an exception with you," the silver haired kunoichi spat as her hand moved to her kunai holster.

"What?!" she gaped as the blonde disappeared from her view only to reappear behind her; his hand encircled around her wrist.

"Four on one aren't very good odds Shimo-chan, for you that is," the blonde shinobi whispered causing a goose bumps to appear on Shimo's neck.

The other three Cloud shinobi appeared out of the fog surrounding Naruto quickly as the blonde watched them carefully his free hand tapping the hilt of his ninjato.

The two male Cloud shinobi glared daggers at the blonde while the third member, a kunoichi with red fire like eyes stared with wonder in her eyes at the amazing speed the man before her had just displayed. He older sister was one of the best but this missing ninja from Konoha had out maneuvered her in a fraction of a second.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Naruto grinned his hand tightening around Shimo's wrist causing her to whine in pain.

"Bastard!" one of the Cloud ninja's hissed at the sight of his captain in pain.

"Tokage shut up!" Shimo ordered.

"But-"Tokage responded.

"Back off now!" Shimo interrupted.

Naruto watched carefully was the three Cloud ninja moved away slowly returning their weapons to their various hiding places.

"Thank you, Shimo-chan," Naruto grinned as he released the silver haired kunoichi.

Shimo took a moment to gather her self allowing the pain in her wrist to subside slightly before returning her gaze to the grinning blonde shinobi kneeling to pick up the discarded rope binding his captives. The women seemed even more defeated as the four Cloud ninja pleading looks obviously hoping they would attempt to save them.

Shimo quickly joined her team now standing several yards away from Naruto, Sakura, and Ino. The other three ninja were very much still on edge as they eyed the masked man.

"Your name?" Shimo questioned as she blew a few silver strands of hair out of her face.

"Kazehitsugi Tsume," Naruto responded.

"Ok, Tsume give me one reason why we shouldn't kill you where you stand?" Shimo questioned her eyes narrowing.

The two women at Naruto's feet gave the four Cloud ninja hopeful looks but they both knew the leader of the Cloud ninja knew she and her team didn't stand a chance against Naruto.

"Just one?" Naruto shrugged, "Well if you for attack me at least two of you will be dead before the other two realize I have even moved."

Shimo grinned apparently satisfied with the large man's answer. She slammed her hands together and flashed through some hand seals.

"Kai!" she screamed as the fog rolled away revealing the village of Namjoshi.

The younger Cloud kunoichi turned and gave a signal causing the gate to creak and groan as the heavy oaken doors began to open. The two male shinobi moved to either side of the gate as Naruto pulled his captives toward their impending doom inside the heavy wooden gates. Naruto slowed slightly as he passed Shimo.

"See you around Shimo-chan," Naruto whispered as he walked slowly by the stoic Cloud kunoichi.

The silver haired women glared at him again at the addition of the suffix as Naruto chuckled at the Kunoichi's reaction.

As the heavy pine doors closed behind him Naruto was suddenly on edge as he glanced around the rather sizable village. He stole a quick glance at Sakura and Ino, noticing the two women were visibly shaken. He hadn't seen Sakura truly afraid since they were Genin, at least for her own well being. He had no doubt the women would go through with the mission, but that wasn't going to make leaving them any easier.

Naruto quickly notice as he made his way through the village that the main population was made up of ninja. While the Cloud shinobi made up a portion of the ninja population, the missing ninja population truly dominated the village.

'Massing for an attack it would seem,' Naruto thought to himself.

The five great shinobi nations had the resources to track down missing ninja from their countries, but the small nations had now where near the hunter forces to track down their own missing ninja. This fact was clear as Naruto noticed most of the missing ninja were from smaller nations.

'The logistics of this war will be impossible,' Naruto thought.

Having so many missing ninja from small villages, which according to Jiraiya's intelligence were allied with the Cloud, meant the Cloud would seemingly be using its missing ninja army to directly attack the Fire Country from the North.

Naruto ignored the gazes of the ninja that were visibly annoyed at the newcomer's arrogant look. Naruto strolled leisurely through the village's muddy streets making his way toward the red light district in the north part of town. Turning right at the next intersection Naruto and the two kunoichi hesitated at the sight of the red lanterns hanging from the dozens of brothels lining both sides of the street.

Naruto's fist visibly trembled as the two young women behind him watched the battle raging in the young man's mind.

'Turn around!' his mind screamed.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered before cursing herself for almost compromising the mission.

Naruto turned to face the two women and stared down at them. Sakura couldn't help but stare into his sad blue eyes. She read him like an open book, she knew what he was thinking and she would have thanked him for his sentiments if she dared speak again.

Naruto stared into Sakura's emerald eyes looking for some kind of answer. It was hard to find a clear one even in Sakura's normally easily read eyes. His gaze turned to Ino's blue green eyes hoping to find the answer from her but only found it to be disguised by a multitude of emotions.

'Turn around you fucking idiot!' Naruto's mind screamed again.

One fact stopped Naruto from turning around and walking straight out of the village. This was the absolute worst moment to be indecisive. Trying to just walk out of this heavily guarded village would be no easy task especially with four rather pissed Cloud ninja waiting on the other side of the village gate. Surely Shimo would question why the three of them were leaving after only being in the village for little less then an hour. Plus the fact Naruto had practically started a fight with them on his way into town.

"Damn it," he hissed his right hand tightening around the rope causing his knuckles to turn white.

The worst part of it all, Naruto thought, was the two innocent women looking up at him were asking him to decide their fate. He knew they couldn't make this decision themselves but asking him to decide was like tearing his heart out. He would have taken their place in a heartbeat if he could but it was impossible. He could feel chakra leaking out of him as his anger grew at his inability to protect his friends.

Sakura, even in her sensory deprived state, could feel the chakra leaking from Naruto as his clenched hands shook with anger. She quickly glance around noticing several dark clad shinobi exiting a brothel and glancing toward the three Leaf ninja. She knew they could feel the chakra rolling off Naruto as his conflicted feelings began to take control of him.

Carefully making sure not to be seen by anyone in the immediate vicinity Sakura took hold of Naruto's trembling hand. Time stopped for Naruto as Sakura's surprisingly steady hands calmed his own. He stared at her in astonishment questioning if she really meant what her simple gesture was telling him.

'Will I ever be able to forgive myself?' Naruto questioned as he nodded to Sakura and Ino and turned confidently toward the group of shinobi.

Naruto walked toward the shinobi as Ino and Sakura walked directly behind him. The men were obviously drunk as they stumbled awkwardly through the street. As Naruto passed the group Ino accidentally glanced up toward one of them heavily intoxicated shinobi.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" the man shouted grabbing Ino by the hair and pulling her up to his eye level.

Naruto moved quickly his emotions fueling his strike. The sword strike was well aimed as the blade slipped between the man's ribs inches below his armpit. Naruto returned his ninjato to its scabbard before the dying man realized what was happening. The man's fingers slipped through Ino's platinum blonde hair as he dropped into the cold mud his blood mixing with the remnants of the night before's snowfall.

The two other men leapt backwards placing distance between the skilled blonde shinobi. The men shook the alcohol out of their heads as the attempted to steady themselves. Their now semi-intoxicated state did not discourage them from drawing weapons as the stared angrily at Naruto.

"Fucking bastard!" on of them shouted his solid black eyes narrowing.

"If you don't want to join your friend I suggest you stay away from my property," Naruto snarled his fierce blue eyes locked onto the two men as they nervously handled kunai searching from their center of gravity.

"Look I don't know who the fuck you think you are…" the other shinobi shouted as he removed his scared Mist forehead protector, "but you don't know who the fuck you are dealing with!"

"I think you should be worried about yourselves and a little less about me," Naruto grinned as two sharp blades simultaneously pressed against the men's throats.

The two shadow clones applied enough pressure to make the men unable to speak lest they risk the movement cutting their own throats. The two missing Mist shinobi stared wide eyed at the blonde ninja both wondering if he was really this powerful or if the alcohol had made them even less alert then they had originally thought.

"Did you two really betray the Hidden Mist village or did they just kick you out?" Naruto questioned.

The two former Mist shinobi glared daggers at the insult both letting a decent amount of killer intent leak out of their bodies.

"I suggest you release my two remaining subordinates," a low voice growled as Naruto felt a cold steel point touch the back of his neck.

Naruto's once confident blue eyes widened in shock as he froze the two shadow clones disappearing allowing the two intoxicated shinobi to drop out of their stiff positions.

"Well you aren't as stubborn as you let on," the voice laughed as Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"I let them go now are you going to return the favor?" Naruto growled carefully making sure not to move.

"I never let my prey go once it is in my sight and this time the prizes are much prettier then normal," the large man grinned as he looked down at the wide eyed women staring at him.

Ino watched in horror as the large green haired shinobi thirsted the kunai in his right hand deep into Naruto's spinal column. But almost on cue Naruto exploded into a large cloud of smoke blinding Ino for a moment. The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the street.

As the smoke cleared Ino's eyes brightened as she witnessed Naruto standing beside her his ninjato scrapping against the green haired man's kunai. Naruto's biceps bulged as his strength began to over power the other man's defense. The former Cloud shinobi realized he was at a disadvantage and leapt backward putting some distance between himself and the larger blonde ninja.

"Humph," he grunted as he was joined by his remaining two subordinates.

The leader of the missing ninja grinned sinisterly as he gazed toward the two women semi hidden behind Naruto. His smile vanished as one of his underlings whispered something into his ear. The green haired shinobi sighted heavily before forming a one handed seal and disappearing into a puddle on the ground. His two subordinates gathered their fallen comrade quickly and leapt away as Naruto watched carefully.

Once he was sure the three men were gone Naruto returned his ninjato to his scabbard once again, knelt down and hauled the two women roughly to their feet.

It took every last ounce of Naruto's self control not to ask the girls if they were alright. He openly wondered how long he had until he would encounter a team of Cloud shinobi arriving to investigate.

'Settle down,' he told himself, 'You can actually tell them the truth.'

It dawned on him that in this one instance he could actually telling the truth would not endanger his mission. He could just leave out certain aspects and everything would be fine.

Almost on cue two Cloud shinobi rounded the corner from a side street. They moved quickly approaching the three Leaf ninja aggressively. Naruto instinctively tensed for battle his right index finger nervously tapping the pummel of his ninjato. To Naruto's utter amazement the two shinobi rockets past not even sparing a glance toward the blonde or the blood stains at his feet. He couldn't help but give Sakura a flabbergasted look.

'They only think they run this village, Naruto,' Sakura thought as she quickly averted her gaze from the tall blonde.

Sakura knew that the Cloud ninja stationed in the village were only present to keep the missing ninja from completely running wild. They would hardly care about a few deaths.

'This place is really hell,' Sakura thought.

It was true the village in many ways reminded Sakura of her first visit to the Wave country all those years ago; except the people running this village were far more dangerous the Gato and his minions. And while certain businesses prospered, like the bars and brothels that surrounded he companions and her, most of the civilian population was suffering greatly under the oppression of the missing ninja.

Secretly she wondered if the green haired, former Mist shinobi wasn't some place high up in the ranks, if he wasn't in charge completely. But Sakura knew one thing about the man, he was extremely dangerous. He had not seemed to be very concerned about Naruto's skills during their brief battle. And the way his underlings seemed to both obey him out of respect and fear seemed to point to the face that he was very powerful. Sakura was lost in her thoughts not realizing her two companions had stopped in front of her. She plowed into Ino's back causing the blonde to fall forward bumping into Naruto. Naruto, who had been in the middle of an introduction with a plump little man who was the owner of the brothel Naruto, had chosen as Sakura's and Ino new home. It had been decided early on that Naruto, with his wealth of experience pulling his perverted sensei out of many such establishments, would chose the place he thought was the best location for the two of them to stay.

Naruto reacted perfectly wheeling around skillfully catching Ino in the stomach with his fist. The blonde women feel to her knees trying not to throw up from the powerful attack. Naruto gave the woman an evil glare before turning his attention to Sakura. She stood there wide eyed as the back of his hand connected with the right side of her face. She slumped to the ground beside Ino attempting to hide the pain on her face.

"Watch where the fuck you are going," the blonde shinobi spat.

Turning back to the smaller man Naruto resumed his greeting, "So you got a nice looking place here. At least compared to the other shit holes around here."

"The best girls in town work here," the small man beamed obviously encouraged by the larger masked man's compliments.

"And your cut?" Naruto questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Eighty percent plus fifteen more if they live here," the man sneered.

"You have my attention, I may have an interesting offer for you," Naruto grinned his crystal blue eyes darkening.

"Now you have my attention," the fat little man grinned exposing his rotten teeth.

"I suggest a partnership while I am staying in town," Naruto explained.

"Go on," the man coaxed stealing a quick glance at the still recovering women behind the blonde shinobi.

"Both of them for your normal cut of double what you normally charge," Naruto's words were more of a threat then an offer.

"That is outrageous, why would I do that?" the man questioned turning around to head back inside.

"Because from what I have seen of this town you could us some fresh ass. And who better to offer it then you? Double the price shouldn't be a problem for what we will be selling," Naruto explained.

The man sat there in silence thinking over Naruto's offer. Naruto grinned when the older man stole another glance at the two young women behind him. The man's attraction to the two women was clouding his better judgment about the financial landmine Naruto had place in front of him. Of course the money was an insignificant aspect of the negotiation. The real reason he wanted the man to double the price was to protect Sakura and Ino. The increase would keep the girls from having to deal with the large number of villagers and small fry who wouldn't have the funds to pay for Sakura's and Ino's services. Plus, anyone who did would only pay such an outrageous amount if they were already in the girls' web of deception.

'This mission isn't about the sex,' Naruto thought, 'It is about them being able to fool their enemies into a false sense of security. Men will say anything to try and impress a pretty girl.'

Naruto had been with Jiraiya long enough to know what usually happened in these kinds of establishments. The women who worked here would attempt to get the men as drunk as possible, half the time they wouldn't even have to sleep with them because the men would pass out or be too drunk to get it up.

Naruto was rather impressed with himself. He, after all, had come up with this plan all by himself and had decided not to tell his companions to make their reactions more convincing. He knew this decreased the over all success rate of the mission but he didn't care. His job was to protect the women and he would not fail even if it meant the women couldn't complete their own mission.

"Very well, I will accept your offer," the fat little man announced.

"You have made the right decision," Naruto grinned through his mask.

"Will you be leaving them here then?" the man hurriedly asked licking his lips.

"Yes…" Naruto replied as he drew his ninjato and held the blade to the man's throat, "They are not for you, they are my property, and they are reserved for paying customers. And should I happen to discover you are overstepping your authority in any way. Well… this establishment will have a new owner. Do I make my self clear?"

"Perfectly sir," the man croaked out almost ready to piss himself at the killer intent the shinobi in front of him was giving off.

"Good, if you have any problems with the customers just let me know," Naruto announced as he pulled the razor sharp blade away from his business partner.

"And how will I accomplish that?" the man asked.

Naruto pulled a small scroll out of his pocket and handed it to the smaller man.

"Just open it and press firmly on the seal," Naruto instructed.

"I understand," the owner nodded.

"Good, I will be back in a week to collect my earnings," Naruto smiled sinisterly as he turned to walk away.

Naruto handed to rope binding Sakura and Ino to the brothel's owner and started to leave. He kept his eyes shut as he passed the two women but Sakura saw his eyes pinch shut trying not to think about what he was doing. Sakura knew she had to survive this if not for her own sake but for Naruto's. She wouldn't let this decision destroy him, she couldn't.

Ino carefully studied her surroundings as Sakura and she were led through the front of the brothel. The place was surprisingly well kept and clean, even having some high end furniture scattered around the large main room.

'Naruto knew what he was doing,' Ino thought to her self as she noticed the alcohol selection mean only the top of the line customers could afford the place.

The greedy old man pushed a swinging door open and led the two women down a rather ornately designed hallway. Ino stole a glance into one of the rooms noticing the floor was covered in a variety of pillows. The man stopped at the far end of the hall at a large wooden door with and equally large iron lock on it. He fumbled for his keys in his pocket and then seemed to have trouble remembering which of the then or so keys was the right one. Finally the lock on the door clicked open and the man pushed the heavy door open revealing a much plainer dark hallway. He led the two girls past several other rooms that were not locked but the doors were tightly shut. Finally he reached a side door with a small brass lock on the door. Producing the key the small round man opened the door and pushed the girls inside.

"You two will be sharing this room, there are some dress kimonos in the closet make sure you are cleaned up by seven," the man announced as he freed the two women from their bonds and slammed to door shut locking the women inside.

Naruto needed a drink badly. He wobbled through the streets hoping to find a small bar were he could let his guard down and drown away what he had just done. He would erase it from his memory.

"I couldn't even look at them," he hissed under his breath.

Naruto made a quick turn ducking into an alley way. He allowed himself to stop for only a second leaning against a wall beside the rest of the trash he began to drown in his own sorrow. He thought he was ready for this, he had thought he could do it but how could it hurt so much.

'Why does it hurt so much?' Naruto's mind screamed.

Naruto had experience all of this before during his battles with the Kyuubi but this was so much more real. He had done this, he had let this happen and he would never forgive himself for what would happen tonight.

"Tonight…" he dry heaved.

The tears were free flowing now as he attempted to keep himself quite and unnoticed.

'STOP IT!' his mind screamed.

"I can't…" Naruto coughed.

'No emotion, no remorse,' his mind echoed.

"I said I can't," Naruto hissed between sobs.

'Only then can you save them,' his mind whispered.

The blood pooled at his feet as the kunai scraped against his femur. The wound closed almost as fast as he could cut. He had to take the pain away some how he had to stop crying.

Pain is funny Naruto thought as his mind cleared. It could cloud your mind so easily and then at the same time clear it again in an instant. He pushed himself to his feet his left leg a bit sore from the deep wound that was rapidly healing. The blood already had begun to clot as he whipped the tears from his eyes and pulled the bandages away from his face. His enemies would know his face and would pay for what they were doing to his friends.

The agony had lessened leaving a tightening in his chest an ever constant reminder of his sins. His outburst did not rid his need to quench his pain in a rather familiar way. Throwing the bandages to the ground he took his first determined steps back into the street. He removed the Leaf forehead protector he had cherished for so long from his pocket. He took a moment to examine the deep gash through the symbol he loved to so much before tying the long bandana around his forehead.

He didn't care anymore he would do this his way mission be damned. He would not hide who he was from this scum. He almost laughed when two former Sound shinobi passed by and drew weapons.

"Good I needed to let off some steam!" Naruto screamed as his pupils flashed crimson.

Sakura took a tentative step out of the small bathroom that was connected to her and Ino's room. She pulled the silk white kimono around her slender body noticing it was designed to only barely cover her body.

Ino said nothing as she pulled her hair back into a tight braid. If they had been at home in their apartment she would have applauded Sakura for finally wearing something that would drive a man wild. But under the circumstances she decided an in proper joke was best served for when they made it back.

'If we make it back,' Ino thought.

"Ino… I… I'm not sure I can do this,' Sakura stuttered a tear slipping down her cheek.

Ino sighed trying to stay strong for the both of them. They would need each other tonight and for many nights to come.

"Sakura just remember our training, it will get us through this. Keep your chakra signature as low as possible with your control you should have no problem especially if you can manage to get him drunk," Ino instructed as she pulled Sakura into a tight embrace.

"Ino… I am scared," Sakura whispered.

"Me… too," Ino responded.

Naruto pulled the door of the bar open almost ripping it from its hinges. He sat down at the bar and motioned to the bartender.

"What will it be?" the man asked.

"Shochu," Naruto responded harshly.

The bartender turned and grabbed a bottle from the top of the shelf and produced a small glass. He poured the clear liquid into the glass filling it three quarters of the way and then moved to place the bottle back in its resting place.

"Leave the bottle," Naruto hissed causing the man to hesitate.

"You have the cash to cover this?" the bartender asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto reached into his pocket a pulled out a wade of cash before slamming it down on the bar in front of him and noticed for the first time he had not washed the blood from his hands. The bartender picked through the sum careful not to get any of the drying blood on his hands.

"Sorry about that, that money's previous owner was a fighter," Naruto grinned as he swallowed the alcohol.

The bartender quickly gathered the sum careful not to over charge the blood covered shinobi and disappeared to the other end of the bar leaving the bottle in front of Naruto.

"_Tsume when you arrive in Namjoshi go to the bar named Arechi. They will be expecting you," _the Cloud ninja's words suddenly reappeared in Naruto's mind.

Suddenly his alcohol slowed mind began to turn working a plan to help Sakura and Ino in the only way he could.

"Hey old man," Naruto called waving the bartender over.

"I'm looking for a bar called Arechi. You happen to know where I can find it," Naruto questioned passing a folded bill free of blood stains.

"Only the best go in there if you know what I mean," the bartender whispered carefully.

"Just tell me where it is," Naruto commanded.

"Three blocks east of here look for the red sign," the bartender sighed.

"I need a place to stay while I am in town, know of a decent spot to get some sleep?" Naruto questioned.

"Well I rent out a couple rooms upstairs usually only Cloud shinobi stay here your kind usually stay in the red light district," the bartender announced.

"You have any vacant rooms?" Naruto questioned.

"Up stairs first door on the right," the bartender responded tossing Naruto a small iron key.

"How much," Naruto questioned.

"Got enough right here for a couple weeks," the man responded as he carefully placed his hand over the rest of the blood stained money Naruto had left sitting on the bar.

"Good enough old man," Naruto replied as he swallowed another shot of clear poison.

Naruto climbed the dark stairs carefully using his hands to prevent himself from falling. He didn't want to think about anything he just wanted to sleep. He could worry about it all tomorrow but tonight he would need to be incapacitated. He could easily have seen himself running back to the brothel and hacking an unsuspecting shinobi to death and then escaping with Sakura and Ino in tow. It would be all to easy he wouldn't even need to use that.

"Shit I'm drunk," Naruto commented as he fumbled with the key to his room.

Did he actually just consider using a technique he had promised himself no matter what the situation he would never use just for Sakura and Ino? Naruto pushed the door open noticing the meager accommodations the room had to offer. Flopping down on the small bed Naruto stared at the ceiling.

"Guess I am not without temptation," Naruto whispered.

The girls' faces snuck into his mind in the midst of his wandering mind. Their faces would haunt him tonight and probably for many nights to come, he was sure of that. He could have saved them.

"Fuck this mission," he hissed as he rolled over and shut his eyes._  
_

A/N: Wow finally done. Sorry about that the move took a little longer to get settled then I had originally thought. This story is probably going to end up being several chapters longer then I had originally thought because this arc alone is going to be at least five more chapters before completion.

I am going to be doing something different in the next two chapters. I am going to write one of them from Naruto's view point and then the other from Sakura's and Ino's view point. I am planning on writing them at the same time so they will be released probably with in a week or so of each other.

I am really going to try and get these two chapters out with in my normal; unfortunately it seems a couple of months is normal, release schedule.

Please review. Thanks.


	12. Chapter 12: Purgatory

Premonitions

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

A/N: First of thanks for all the reviews and PMs I received. As I have stated before I won't reveal anything from the plot (including pairings) until the appropriate time.

I had several messages about Naruto being out of character especially in regards to his drinking habit. This story is rated Mature for a reason. This is a much more mature version of Naruto, as you all can see; I am attempting to make it more like the reality we all live in. And one way I decided to do that is destroying the conception in the manga and anime that killing someone has no psychological repercussions. I don't care if had to take someone's life in self defense one time in your life you will never be the same. And these characters are being sent on missions to kill people all the time. They all have to have a way to cope with the stress of knowing that tomorrow could very well be their last day alive.

In Naruto's specific case he began drinking because of the nightmares the Kyuubi was giving him during his training with Jiraiya. The alcohol helped him sleep at night or at least allowed him to fall asleep. The habit has obviously not been easily kicked and the current mission probably isn't helping things. Plus, Naruto never actually says at any time he dislikes drinking. I believe the only time he says anything about drinking is when he says he isn't old enough to drink during his conversations with Gamabunta**.**

Oh and I am aware of the fact that I may loose a large number of readers if the story continues the way the plot is leading. If you decide to stop reading because of the plot's progression then that is your decision and while I appreciate every signal reader I have to keep to the plot in my head even if no one reads my updates.

Sorry if that seemed like I don't care about your reactions to my story because I really do.

Enjoy the chapter.

Please Read and Review.

**Chapter 12: Purgatory**

"Shit," Naruto groaned as he lifted his torso off the lumpy mattress with his powerful arms.

The sun was already high in the sky when the blonde descended the stairs in the rear of the bar that had become his home for a little over two weeks now. He was adjusting well to life in this hell and at times even found himself enjoying himself, especially the late night conversations he had with the old bartender. The older man seemed to be apathetic to most of the happenings around the Lightning country but that didn't stop him from over hearing information that he seem all the more willing to share with Naruto and probably anyone else who asked.

"Tsume, rough night?" the old bartender questioned giving the large blonde a silly grin.

"Shut it old man you know damn well what you did to me last night," Naruto replied growing accustomed to his alternate persona.

"I don't remember forcing anything down your throat," the old man laughed getting a defeated sigh from the blonde.

'Today is the day,' Naruto thought.

It was time to put his carefully laid plan into action. But first he needed to make a visit to his business partner and pick up his earnings. He had distanced himself from the two women that he was carefully watching over. He had sealed his compassion for the two away for the time being it, was a necessity. He hadn't seen Sakura or Ino at all during his two week adjustment period as he was now calling it. He had sent a small toad to keep an eye on the two in case they actually needed them. The creature had managed to sneak into the brothel and was now on alert to summon Naruto if anything happened.

Naruto waved a dismissive goodbye to the bartender as he pushed the old oak door to the bar open and stepped out into the cool mid day sun. He knew it would take him twenty minutes to reach the brothel if he walked or fewer than three minutes if he pushed himself and used the roof tops.

'Less then that if I used the Flying Thunder God technique,' thought wondering the stress such a distance would put on his body.

He ignored the glances he received from two former Rock kunoichi as he rounded the corner and headed toward the red light district. He heard the two women giggle as he passed out of their view.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued in what he could only describe as a Kakashi like pace. His leisurely pace was only a disguise though his eyes moved constantly noting the placement of the people on the streets. Neither shinobi nor villagers escaped his gaze. He recognized several of the shinobi that were emerging from a small food stand.

"Five Cloud, Two former Rock, and the five former Grass shinobi that had just exited the stand," Naruto counted under his breath.

He rounded another corner and was at his destination. The bright red lantern was unlit in the middle of the day but he knew his partner was here some where. He pushed the ornate wooden doors open with both hands and made his grand entrance to the establishment.

Three women were busily cleaning the cavernous lobby as Naruto entered. They stopped only for a moment before continuing their work. Naruto took a moment to analyze the place looking for any thing that was out of place. His eyes fell on a dimly lit corner where two yellow eyes were staring up at him.

His toad summon had felt his presence and had appeared only long enough for Naruto to know there were no surprises waiting for him. Naruto gave the amphibian an almost indistinguishable nod and the yellow eyes closed and the creature melded back into the wall behind it.

"Excuse me but we are closed until dusk," a sweet female voice came from behind Naruto.

The women pulled a silk dress kimono back up onto her shoulders as Naruto turned to face her. She was fairly attractive with her dark brown hair pulled back into a tight braid, but she had obviously been working in the brothel for a while. Naruto noticed how the other women around the room didn't even look up from their work to acknowledge the older women's presence.

"And you are?" Naruto questioned.

"Hyko, I am the madam of this house," the women explained.

"I see well I will let you get back to your work but I need to speak to your boss," Naruto explained.

"Tsume right?" the women questioned crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's right," Naruto bowed slightly.

"Those two girls you brought in have been making quite a profit, some of the other girls are jealous," Hyko explained as she turned and walked toward the bar.

"I didn't come here to speak about their well being I came here to collect my earnings," Naruto hissed gaining the women's attention.

"He's upstairs," Hyko hissed back obviously angry at the blonde's non existent desire to make small talk.

"Thank you," Naruto smiled as he pushed past her and opened the door behind the bar revealing a staircase.

Naruto sighed heavily as the door shut behind him. He slowly moved up the dimly lit staircase before emerging in an even dimmer hallway. His keen eyesight picked out three doors along the hallway. The furthest from his current position was brightly lit on the other side with muffled words being exchanged on the other side.

Naruto moved quickly wanting to get out of the brothel as soon as possible. Being there caused him to think about Sakura and Ino too much. And at present time there was nothing he could do for the two kunoichi. Naruto pushed the door open not bothering to knock before he entered.

"What the fuck!" the older man screamed as he pushed the women on top of him onto the floor.

The old man scrabbled to find his pants as Naruto entered the room confidently. The women gathered her kimono her bright blue hair a mess from the rough sex she had just been engaged in.

"Get out," Naruto hissed as he passed the women who obliged and ran from the room closing the door behind her.

"You could have knocked first," the older man hissed as he pulled his pants up and looking generally pissed to be interrupted.

Naruto was behind the man in a flash pulling the sharp blade of his ninjato against the man's throat.

"I hope you haven't been fucking around with any of my property," Naruto hissed as the razor sharp blade drew blood.

"N-No I haven't I swear," the man whined.

"Good," Naruto responded as he released the man and sheathed his blade.

"Damn it," the man coughed.

"Where is my money?" Naruto questioned.

"In that envelope over there," the man pointed to a bulging white envelope on a shelf.

"Your books?" Naruto questioned.

"On the desk," the man replied as he held his neck stopping the bleeding.

Naruto may have never pay attention in class when he was in the academy but living alone for the amount of time he had he knew how to keep a budget and he was going to make sure the man wasn't screwing him.

Naruto swiveled around in the chair and put his feet up on the man's desk as he ran a finger over the various amounts entered in the books for the last two weeks. Satisfied with the amount of money he should be receiving he stood up and retrieved the bulging envelop and began counting.

"What you don't trust me?" the old man questioned.

"No," was Naruto's reply.

"It is all there," the old man grunted.

"I know," Naruto replied as he shoved the cash into his pocket and headed toward the door.

"See you in two weeks," the old man called after the blonde.

Naruto waved his right hand dismissing the man's attempt at a friendly comment as he headed down the dim hallway and the staircase beyond.

Once back outside in the sunbathed street Naruto sighed heavily. He stole a glance back to the oaken door that separated him from the brothel. He wondered what Sakura and Ino were doing at that very moment. While he was relatively free to do what ever he wanted they were being subjugated to manual labor during the day and worse at night.

"Fuck," Naruto hissed as he turned away and headed south toward his apartment.

He really needed to let loose on something as was evident from the growing pain in his forearms. As well as he could disguise his anger from the outside world the intensifying burning sensation from his arms broke through his mask as he winced.

"Damn," Naruto groaned in pain as he stumbled slightly.

'Breathe,' he commanded himself.

He took several deep breaths while he leaned against a power line pole. He was sweating now even in the cool spring air. Calming himself down in the usual way was not an option here it possibly raise too much attention.

'Let go, you know you want to,' a sinister voice from the back of his mind whispered.

Naruto's eyes shot open revealing flaming crimson orbs as the voice registered in his conscious mind. The voice was familiar but not the one he had expected to interject such a temptation. It was his voice only deeper and much more evil.

'No, I will not use that power ever again,' Naruto hissed back.

Suddenly the pain subsided as Naruto straightened up his eyes returning to their deep blue. He put a hand to his face in relief. All he wanted to do was return to the bar and get a stiff drink and head to bed for the rest of the day. He felt horrible, the aftermath of the attack had been far worse then any before and that concerned Naruto greatly.

Momentarily involved with his own thoughts he didn't notice the three Cloud shinobi surrounding him cautiously. Naruto only caught a glimpse of them when he moved to wipe a drop of sweat away from his right eye. Moving with all the speed he was capable at that moment he wheeled on the three shinobi drawing his ninjato in the same motion.

"Can I help you?" Naruto questioned as he almost blacked out.

"Kazehitsugi Tsume?" the largest shinobi questioned.

Naruto nodded, "And you are?"

"That is unimportant, we are here to escort you to Arechi bar," the man replied as he bowed slightly showing Naruto they were not there to fight.

Naruto's eyes shifted from the man to his two companions who were passively standing there. Naruto saw no indication that this was a trap; in fact he had planned on visiting the bar to gather information on the likely locations where the Cloud would launch their attack.

Naruto decided to corporate for now. Nodding his head he motioned for the lead Cloud ninja to lead the way and fell in line behind him. The other two shinobi took flanking positions behind Naruto.

'Don't seem to trust me all that much,' Naruto thought when he noticed the two.

Naruto knew now he had no choice but to follow the three Cloud ninja the two behind him meant he couldn't escape without giving one of them an opening and he couldn't attack the shinobi in front of him either. Of course Naruto had no doubt he could defeat all three of the ninja should he have too, but killing Cloud ninja was a far cry from killing a few over zealous Sound shinobi.

'They started it anyway,' Naruto thought trying to justify the two deaths that stained his hands.

So devoid of anything else to do at that moment Naruto resigned himself to following the lead Cloud shinobi as the walked through the village at a rather leisurely pace. Naruto stuffed his hands into his pants pockets looked up at the clouds beginning to roll in from the west.

'I can understand why Shikamaru likes this,' Naruto thought as he occasionally glanced down in order to not run into the back of the ninja in front of him.

The four men turned down a back alley and then again onto another alley that ran parallel to the main street they were just on. Naruto was now on a higher state of alert the enclosed alley had to many ambush spots and he couldn't maneuver properly in cramped space. The turned a corner and entered a side alley that dead ended into a building. Naruto didn't even notice the small set of stairs leading down to a worn door. A rusty sign swung above the stairs. Naruto could barely make out Arechi bar painted in a deep blood shade of red on the rusting sign.

"They are expecting you," the lead Cloud shinobi announced as he stepped aside to allow Naruto to descend down the staircase.

Naruto nodded and proceeded down the staircase and opened the surprisingly heavy metal door.

Once inside it took Naruto's eyes several seconds to refocus in the dimly lit bar. His pupils dilated as he took in the small empty room with a long bar running along the left side of the room. The bartender standing behind the bar quickly noticed the shinobi standing in the door way and motioned him toward the bar. Naruto complied and took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Kazehitsugi Tsume?" the young man questioned.

"Yeah I was told I was expected," Naruto replied as he eyed to bartender.

The young man turned away and grabbed a glass from behind the bar and poured Naruto a drink. Naruto gave the man a questioning look as he reached for the alcohol.

"It is on the house," the young man smiled.

'I'm sure it is…' Naruto thought as he took a small taste of the liquid.

It was bitter, too bitter. Naruto spat the remnants of the sip out and readied himself for combat.

"What the fuck is this?" Naruto questioned as he pushed the glass away from him.

"Just a test Tsume," a male voice answered from behind him.

Naruto wheeled around hoping to block any attack that was coming, but none came instead he was face to face with a stern looking older man.

"What kind of test is that you were trying to poison me!" Naruto announced as he glared at the older man.

"I like to screen my employees before I give them a job they are not suitable for. Most missing ninja around here would have gulped that shot down and not thought twice about it. Most of them are idiots who ran away from their village because their ego was too big. But you appear to be different, please take seat," the man announced as he sat down on a stool at the bar.

Naruto cautiously took his seat beside the man and waited for the man to continue.

"So Tsume what is your story?" the man questioned as he ordered a drink for the two of them.

"I don't have a story," Naruto responded coldly waiting until the man beside him took a healthy drink before tasting his own drink.

"I mean why did you leave your village?" the man questioned.

"I was an orphan and I didn't exactly get treated very well when I was a kid. And well one thing lead to another after I graduated from the academy. I guess I just got sick of being looked down on because I was different," Naruto explained not really lying.

"Well, well, well, finally someone with a good reason for betraying their home," the man commented as he stood.

"Follow me Tsume, I like you so I am going to give you a special assignment," the man announced as he headed toward the door.

Naruto followed the man deciding even though this man was an enemy he really didn't seem too bad.

The two men turned right out of the alley and headed north toward the edge of the village. Naruto followed the man keeping a keen eye open for any ambush, he still wasn't quite over the fact that this man had tried to poison him today already.

"You will be joining my team, Tsume," the man announced as the two men neared a small gate that lead out of the village.

"Your team?" Naruto questioned.

"They are waiting for me on the outside of the village we are going to do a recon patrol around the village today we have gotten some reports of Rock shinobi in the region, don't worry you will be back by tonight," the man announced seemingly sensing Naruto's objection.

The man nodded to the two Cloud shinobi guarding the north gate of the village and the heavy oaken doors swung open revealing four Cloud shinobi standing on the other side waiting impatiently.

"Taichou you're late again," a female voice Naruto recognized announced angrily.

"Sorry Shimo I had to pick up our new teammate," the man announced as he motioned for Naruto to emerge from behind him.

Nothing could hide the grin on Naruto's face as he appeared from behind the man. He watched in amusement as the four ninja's faces went from confusion to recognition to undying hatred in record time.

"You!" Shimo spat venomously.

"Shimo-chan I didn't think I would be seeing you again so soon," Naruto smiled ignoring the killer intent from three of the four ninja.

"You two know each other?" the man questioned.

"Oh yeah we are real close, even went on a date with me once," Naruto lied hoping to get a rise out of the angry kunoichi.

"Wha-WHAT!" the silver haired kunoichi screamed.

"It didn't go very well she isn't very interesting," Naruto explained.

The kunai barely missed as Naruto dodged the projectile. He back flipped and landed back in his original position smiling the whole time.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry," Naruto held his hands up trying to hide his grin.

"Shimo calm down please," the red haired girl attempted to restrain the other women.

"Hibana back off I am sick and tired of this assholes attitude," the women announced as she shook the younger women off.

"Shimo enough," the man announced as he pinched the bridge of his nose attempting to relieve the headache that was quickly forming.

"But-!" Shimo started

"I said enough!" the man yelled quieting the other four Cloud ninja.

"Damn kids," the man whispered under his breath.

"Why is he here Taichou?" Shimo questioned glaring at Naruto.

"He is here because you know what he is capable of, don't you?" the man questioned.

"He is nothing special," the women announced.

"Well I guess I will see for myself," the man announced.

"Hmph," Shimo responded turning away from the two men.

"Well since you all know each other I guess I don't have to start with the introductions," the older man sighed.

"I don't believe I ever got your name," Naruto stated as he leaned against the village's outer wall.

"Sorry but that is privileged information, they don't even know my name," the man replied pointing to the still very aggravated Cloud ninja.

"Well what should I call you then?" Naruto questioned, for the moment content to allow the man to keep his secrets.

"Taichou will be fine," the man replied even smiling slightly.

"Fine with me Taichou," Naruto replied as he returned his eyes to the brooding silver haired kunoichi.

"Look… we are going to have to work together so… I'm sorry," Naruto sighed.

"Save it! I know what you are or have you already forgotten your property you brought here?" the Shimo spat.

Naruto almost visibly winced at the words his eyes moving slightly to the ground. He quickly regained his composure though and looked serious crystal blue eyes onto icy light blue ones.

"I haven't forgotten nor should you," Naruto threatened his eyes narrowing.

"I thought I said enough," Taichou interjected.

"Sorry," Naruto replied closing his eyes and leaning back again.

"Can we all act like adults long enough for us to go over our plan?" Taichou questioned.

Naruto nodded and opened his eyes long enough to see the other Cloud shinobi do the same. Shimo simply crossed her arms and looked away but Naruto could tell she was paying attention.

"Now we will sweep to the west following the mountains until we reach the border of the Earth Country then we will sweep North and then back to the village," Taichou commanded as he removed a map of the Lightning country and noted the path they would be taking.

"Just a triangular route?" Shimo questioned.

"We don't know if the reports are accurate and we don't need to be out there for an extended period of time in fact we need to be back here by night fall," Taichou explained.

"Do we have a specific strategy Hibana questioned.

"Yes**, **Tokage and Kame you two will take point**. **Hibana and I will be right behind you in case of an attack. Shimo and Tsume will act as rear guard. You two can handle that without killing each other right," Taichou questioned his eyes narrowing.

"No problem boss," Naruto smiled.

"Humph, of course," Shimo sighed as she crossed her arms.

"Good lets get going then," Taichou replied and the six ninja disappeared out of view.

Naruto found the pace Taichou set to be fairly easy to keep up with he hardly had to use and chakra at all to leap from tree to tree. His blue eyes kept an eye on the red head in front of him as her hair made her easily discernable from the pine tree canopy. He stole a glance at Shimo wondering what the woman was thinking. Even though the two were enemies Naruto didn't like the fact the woman hated him with such intensity. It just didn't sit right with him.

He quickly dismissed the notion as sentimental, an emotion of wanting to belong were ever he was from his distant past. Naruto ducked under a branch and stole another glance toward the silver haired women. Was she actually watching him? He wouldn't have blamed her if she was he was the newest member to this team and he was the only one of the group that was not a loyal Cloud ninja.

The group of ninja where nearing the border when Taichou and Name stopped quickly and dropped to the ground. Naruto skillfully followed with Shimo behind him. The two landed on the forest floor without a sound and moved quickly toward Taichou and Hibana. Further along in the underbrush Naruto could see Tokage and Kame peering into a large ravine. The two men moved silently as they rejoined the group.

"Well?" Taichou questioned.

"We count ten Rock ninja in the bottom of the ravine they seem to be preparing camp for the night," Turtle declared.

"Can you confirm their number at ten?" Taichou asked.

"Negative there several caves in the vicinity of their camp," Tokage replied.

"Shit, I don't like this," Taichou cursed, "We only know we are outnumbered but we can't be sure by how many."

"We are going to attack?" Naruto questioned.

"We have orders to eliminate any hostile force found within our borders no matter their intent," Taichou confirmed Naruto's suspicion.

"You realize this could be a trap?" Naruto questioned now doubting Taichou's leadership slightly.

"Yes but our orders are absolute, this isn't Konoha betraying orders here will get you killed," Taichou responded coldly.

Naruto was taken back by the man's cold response.

'He doesn't care at all about his comrades then? Is the only thing important to him completing his mission?' Naruto thought as the three youngest Cloud ninja looked around nervously.

Shimo noticed her sister's wandering eyes and gave her a quick wink. Naruto noticed the gesture and found a new respect for the silver haired kunoichi. She actually cared what happened too the three ninja that were under her care. Naruto wondered if Taichou had been ordered to take over this team because he placed the mission over his comrades where Shimo did not.

"Tokage and Kame you two are with me," Taichou announced, "We will attack from the north moving south clearing out the ravine as we go.

The two younger men nodded in agreement but were obviously nervous.

"Shimo, Hibana, and Tsume you will attack from the south and drive them to me," Taichou announced as he stood from his kneeling position.

Naruto glanced at the two women wondering if they could handle themselves in a fight. He knew Shimo was at least competent in a fight but was lacking in a close quarter battle and as forHibana, she was obviously the youngest of the group and while obviously confident in her own abilities was probably lacking in several areas.

'Fuck, this is a trap if I have ever seen one and he is going to send me in with a medium to long range fighter and a teenager who probably just made Chuunin. There could be ANBU down there for all we know,' Naruto thought as he began to mentally prepare himself for battle.

"We attack when in ten minutes get to your positions," Taichou ordered.

The two groups of ninja separated as they moved toward the starting points. Naruto followed Shimo and Hibana to the south trying to determine just how much strength he should display. If he fought at full strength he probably could do this mission with only a couple of Chuunin to back him up but he wasn't sure showing off his full power was a good idea at this point. He didn't need to draw unnecessary attention to himself from the upper level of Cloud ninja.

'But on the other hand showing not enough ability could lead them to pass me off as another hack and that could ruin my chance of discovering any information of use to Konoha,' Naruto pondered.

The two women in front of Naruto dropped to forest floor and ducked behind a large boulder that had recently fallen from the ravine wall judging by the crushed vegetation below it.

"Ok we have three minutes until we attack make sure you are prepared," Shimo announced as she peeked around the boulder to attempt to get a glimpse at their enemy.

"Sis… I mean Shimo-sempai isn't a bad idea to attack without knowing the enemies total strength?" Hibana questioned.

"You two are sisters?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes, and Yes," Shimo responded giving Naruto a cold glare.

"Then why is Taichou having us attack now?" Hibana wondered out loud.

"That man only cares about the mission at hand; he cares nothing for the ninja under his command. They can be replaced but the mission can't be attempted again," Shimo whispered through her clench teeth.

"Then Tokage and Kame?" Name worried.

"I'm worried too," Shimo replied, "Don't worry I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"Look you may not like me but I don't like seeing my comrades die so just follow me in and let me take care of this," Naruto announced suddenly complementing using far more power then he had previously decided too.

"How could someone like you care about comrades?" Shimo spat.

"Shimo-oneesama now is not the time to be fighting with Tsume-san," Hibana interjected nervously.

"I guess your right Name," Shimo sighed.

"Hibana you take the left and I'll take the right, Tsume you go right up the middle," Shimo ordered as the time ticked under the minute mark.

'Well that makes sense she doesn't care if I get killed so she will put me in the most dangerous place,' Naruto thought.

"Ok… I'll see you after Onee-sama," Hibana replied as she moved slowly off through the underbrush.

Tsume began to move to the right flank but Naruto stopped her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"What the fuck are you doing," Shimo hissed.

"Is she ready for this?" Naruto questioned his piercing blue eyes locked onto Shimo's.

"She may be a bit inexperienced but she will be fine I'm here to protect her," Shimo whispered turning away from Naruto's gaze.

"I see," Naruto responded as he let go of the women's arm.

"Get ready we are about the move," Shimo replied as she vanished into the undergrowth.

'This wasn't exactly my idea of a routine patrol,' Naruto thought as his powerful body tensed for battle.

The clock hit zero as Naruto rounded the boulder at a full sprint. He saw Shimo emerge from a tree near the ravine's east bank. Hibana appeared on the west bank a moment later. The two Rock shinobi standing guard at the south entrance to the ravine were at first surprised by the three ninja rushing their position but they quickly recovered and tensed for battle.

The one closest to Naruto through a hand full of shuriken toward the charging blonde. Naruto's ninjato emerged from its sheath and the sound of metal striking metal resonated through the ravine.

Surprised by the blondes boldness in merely blocking his shuriken the Rock shinobi pulled a kunai from his holster and charged to meet the oncoming blonde. The other Rock shinobi was already moving to engage the red haired women that had emerged from the trees near his guard post. He pulled a long slender straight sword from beneath the folds of his cloak and formed a hand signal. Chakra poured out of his body and began to swirl around the weapon.

"Shit wind-nature chakra?" Naruto questioned as he stole a glance toward the other Rock shinobi as he closed the distance between himself and his opponent.

"Shimo these guys are good go help Hibana, I'll take care of this guy!" Naruto yelled as he swung his ninjato hard toward the Rock shinobi's neck.

Shimo moved quickly crossing the ravine in seconds as she closed in on the sword wielding Rock shinobi. Suddenly two more Rock shinobi appeared from the ground and launched a simultaneous attack on Shimo. The sliver haired kunoichi dodged the attack but was forced to engage the two shinobi as the blocked her path to Hibana.

"TSUME I CAN'T GET TO HER!" Shimo cried in desperation.

"Fuck," Naruto hissed as his ninjato slammed against his opponent's kunai.

The force of the attack caused the man's foot to slip slightly on the gravel that covered the ravine's floor. Using the man's temporary loss of balance to his advantage Naruto spun to the right landing a round house kick to the side of the man's face. The man gathered himself in mid air much to Naruto's surprise and landed on his feet. The man charged again this time flashing through some hand seals. But the blonde only a few yards in front of him disappeared.

"Sorry I don't have time to play with you right now," Naruto announced from behind the man.

The shinobi tried to rotate to block the impending attack but was far too slow as Naruto's ninjato beheaded to the man. Naruto didn't have time to even realize he had completely beheaded the man when he only mean to cut his throat as he rocketed himself toward the large Rock shinobi now on the offensive in his battle against Hibana.

The red headed young women was having a tough time dodging the man's attacks and beginning to realize just how outclassed she was. She thought for a moment that she saw an opening in the man's attacks and swung her kunai toward the man's hamstring hoping to hinder his movements. The man noticed the attack and swung his long sword down to block.

"TOO SLOW!" Hibanashouted as she thrust forward with her kunai only to watch the man's sword cleave the weapon in two.

"You are the one that is slow," the man hissed as he kicked the women in the chest sending her flying backward into a rock outcropping.

He was on top of her in an instant pinning her arms to the ground with his knees and using his body weight to hold her down. He smiled as he watched the fear grow in her eyes as he raised his sword to deliver the final blow.

The man swung down hard to cut through the women's sternum and vital organs. His grin widened as her eyes slammed shut as the blade neared her chest. Seconds pasted before she slowly opened them noticing the man's amazed expression as he stared down at her. The blade had stopped only centimeters from her chest as it scratched against a black katana blue chakra swirled around both blades.

"Looks like I made it in time," Naruto smiled as the man stared at him in disbelief.

"H-How?" the man stuttered.

"That doesn't really concern you anymore," Naruto replied as his eyes slowly closed.

Too Hibana'samazement three more katana exited the man's chest. The man coughed up blood as he slumped forward toward the red haired kunoichi. Naruto caught the man with a powerful kick before he could soil the girl's clothing with his blood.

Hibana stared up at the blonde in disbelief and then noticed the three clones standing next to the man. They glanced toward the original whom nodded slightly and sprinted off toward the north.

"They will take care of the rest, let's go help your sister okay?" Naruto offered his hand as he helped the girl to her feet.

"Ouch!" Hibanascreamed as she tried to stand.

"Hmmm, you must have broken your ankle when you hit the rocks," Naruto stated as the women fell against him.

"Y-Yeah," Hibanastuttered as she rested against the blonde's chest.

"Ok, let's get going," Naruto replied as he scooped up the young women and sprinted off toward Shimo who was still engaged with one of the Rock shinobi.

"Fucking bitch you will pay for that," the Rock shinobi hissed as the women in front of him stepped back from his fallen comrade.

Shimo didn't respond as she pulled another kunai from her pouch and moved to engage the shinobi. She had managed to notice the three shadow clones of Tsume run past her despite fighting a two on one battle. She had silently cursed them for not helping her but she was more worried about Hibanaand whether Tsume had made it in time. She couldn't help but attempt to steal a glance back toward where her sister was fighting but the Rock shinobi launched his attack as soon as the women's eyes turned away from him.

'HE IS FASTER, SHIT!' Shimo thought as her eyes refocused in time to see a kunai only inches away from her chest.

The kunai was deflected away at the last moment as the large blonde landed between the two battling ninja.

"Nice throw Hibana-chan you saved your sister's life, now if you will excuse me," Naruto smiled as he place the young women down on the ravine floor.

In an instant he was gone again appearing again beside the shocked Rock shinobi.

"You were holding back, but then again so was I," Naruto whispered as he slide the blade of a kunai into the man's spinal column.

The two women stared at him in as much appreciation as shock.

'Had he really been this powerful,' Shimo pondered.

She knew he was fast but this speed would rival even the best of Cloud ninja, and his apparent mastery of the Kage Bushin technique made him all the more powerful in a battle.

"We should move, my clones are finished and we need to meet Taichou and the others," Naruto announced as he bent down to pick Hibanaup again.

"That's quite alright Tsume, I will carry her," Shimo interjected noticing her sister's dejected face.

"You sure you look kind of tired?" Naruto replied smiling.

"I'm fine," Shimo bit back and kneeled to scoop her sister up.

"You're the boss," Naruto replied as he turned an headed north deeper into the ravine.

Several minutes later Naruto paused before entering a narrow part of the ravine. As he slowed Taichou, Tokage, and Kame appeared from around a bend in the ravine. Naruto actually heard the sigh of relief from the two women behind him.

"Well done, Tsume," Taichou announced.

"I had help," Naruto smiled.

"I see and what exactly happened to you?" Taichou questioned turning his attention toward Hibana.

"I broke my ankle while in battle," Hibanareplied weakly from Shimo's back.

"Very well Shimo put her down she can get back to the village on her own, I can't have you using all your strength carrying her around on your back for the rest of the patrol," Taichou announced.

"But-," Shimo started.

"We have no choice you know the consequences for failing a mission," Taichou ordered.

"I'll take her back then," Naruto interjected.

"You are a part of this mission you don't get to make any decisions," Taichou announced becoming angry.

"Look Taichou I don't know who you think you are but last time I checked I am not one of your peons. I don't take orders from you unless I want to," Naruto stood angrily, "And just because I said I would take her doesn't mean I am not going with you too."

Naruto grinned wickedly as he formed a hand seal and a bushin popped into existence.

"That bushin will never make it all the way back to the village you are just going to reduce your strength," Taichou sighed angrily.

"Well we will see if my clone makes it back and I guarantee you I will keep up with what ever pace you set," Naruto replied gaining a angry look from the man.

"Fine do what ever you want," Taichou finally relented.

The clone wasted no time scooping Hibanaup and leaped off into the canopy heading due east. The three younger Cloud shinobi stared at Naruto wondering just how powerful he was if he was willing to stand up to someone like Taichou.

"Lets get moving," Taichou announced as he vaulted up out of the ravine and into the forest canopy.

Tokage and Kamefollowed him leaving Naruto and Shimo standing in the blood soaked ravine.

"Thank you," Shimo whispered.

"You're welcome," Naruto answered as he leapt up into the surrounding trees followed closely by Shimo.

The remainder of the patrol was uneventful and Naruto was beginning to feel some fatigue setting in especially in his legs but the others in his group were obviously struggling to keep the pace. Taichou even though he tried not showing it was completely exhausted he had used a large amount of charka in the battle and had set a grueling pace to attempt to show Tsume he was far superior to the former Konoha ninja. But blonde was showing no ill effects from the pace and it was pissing Taichou off.

As the group finally reached the village's outer wall they descended from the trees and landed with heavy thuds on the hard ground. Everyone, save Naruto, was breathing heavily as they stumbled into the village.

"You have tomorrow off I will expect to see you back here at noon the day after tomorrow," Taichou announced as he formed a hand seal and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"You guys okay?" Naruto questioned as the three Cloud shinobi allowed themselves to relax once their captain had vanished.

"Yeah just a little tired," Kame responded seemingly finally willing to speak to Naruto.

"Too tired for a drink?" Naruto smiled as he pulled Tokage up off the ground by his arm.

"I don't know about that…" Kame responded sending a questioning look toward Shimo.

"Ah come on my treat ok?" Naruto smiled.

"Come on Kame lets go have some fun for once," Tokagesaid.

"Ok I guess," Kamegave in.

"You coming, Shimo-chan?" Naruto questioned as the three men turned to walk away.

"I have to check on my sister," Shimo responded quickly.

"Your sister is meeting us there," Naruto responded.

"What? How do you know that?" Shimo responded giving the blonde a look.

"My Kage Bushin is still with her," Naruto explained.

"That is impossible, there is no way you could keep a Kage Bushin active for that long," Shimo stared at the large man.

"Ah it is nothing special really let's go you can always leave if I am lying," Naruto offered as he turned to leave with the two Cloud shinobi.

"W-Wait just a minute," Shimo yelled after the three men as she followed them toward their destination.

Naruto took another shot of alcohol as the glanced over at his new found allies. He wondered if he would have to kill them in the future, if he could kill them after tonight. He had always known that ninja from other countries were just as loyal to their villages as Naruto was to his and unfortunately that meant Naruto had killed men and women who were not evil they were just trying to do their jobs. But actually having a drink with future enemies was a new experience for him. He wondered if they even knew about the war their country was leading them into.

He shook those thoughts out of his head and was presented with another question. What he was doing in this club drinking when he should be at his nice quite bar talking to the old bartender. The loud music and flashing lights were not exactly the atmosphere he preferred but he had allowed Hibanato pick were they would meet up and well she was still a teenager. The other three Cloud ninja didn't seem to mind the choice though as it was not a crowded with missing ninja who seemed to prefer the bars near the red light district.

"Um… Tsume-san," Hibana'svoice shook Naruto from his thoughts.

"How's your ankle?" Naruto questioned as he drank another glass of sake in one gulp.

"Fine thank you for taking me to the hospital," the younger girl smiled her bright red hair pulled back into a short pony tail.

"It wasn't anything the others wouldn't have done if they were able," Naruto's comment sounded like he was bragging even though he wasn't.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Hibanaquestioned causing Naruto to almost chock on his drink.

"Dance? With me?" Naruto coughed.

"Yes, that is if you want too," the red head blushed.

"I'm not sure that is the best idea you sister doesn't like me too much I wouldn't want to aggravate her more then my presence already does," Naruto smiled.

"That is not a very good excuse," Hibanacommented.

"Don't forget what I am, or what I have done," Naruto warned his eyes serious searching Hibana'sbrilliant orange eyes.

"I don't believe that is who you really are," Hibanareplied.

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock.

'Damn it did she figure it out?' Naruto thought as his hand moved toward his kunai holster.

"You have done some terrible things I am sure but you had to do those things to survive right?" the younger women smiled.

"I get paid to be your comrade, don't forget that, I could kill you, Tokage, Kame, and your sister right now and I wouldn't think twice about it. I am sorry but I am not the man you think I am, I am a monster nothing more," Naruto warned as he stood and threw a large sum of cash down on the counter.

"Keep the change," Naruto told the bartender as he pushed past Hibana and left the club.

"You might be able to fool my sister but you are not the man you claim to be," a sweet feminine voice called from the shadows.

"You know nothing about me," Naruto commented as his keen eyesight picked up Shimo's shape from the darkness.

"Exactly so why should I believe anything you say?" Shimo questioned.

"Because believing me will keep you alive for now," Naruto responded his eyes narrowing as Shimo stepped out of the shadows.

"I don't believe that you would kill me," Shimo stated as she moved closer to the larger blonde shinobi.

"Believe what you want, but I wouldn't think twice about killing you if I wasn't getting paid not too," Naruto fired back.

"I guess I will take my chances," Shimo shrugged as she was so close she was almost touching Naruto.

"Whatever," Naruto replied as he tried to leave only to me stopped by Shimo pulling him into a deep kiss.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity for Naruto as he stared wide eyed at the silver haired kunoichi.

"That was for saving my sister's life… and mine," she whispered as she disappeared back into the night club.

"Wow…"

A/N: Ok change of plans slightly. Naruto's chapter turned out to be a lot longer then I had originally planned so Sakura's and Ino's chapter hasn't been started yet beyond brainstorming and a little bit of rough draft. So their chapter will not be released in a like a week but hopefully in like two or three weeks.

Any how this story will be on a short hiatus after the next chapter while I write another story. It will be a Sasuke x Sakura story but Naruto will still be the main character. There is a preview of the story in my profile. The chapters will be shorter and the story will probably only be like five chapters or so. And of course I must live up to my fans so it will have a lot of angst and character death.

Please Review! Or something bad will happen.


	13. Chapter 13: Innocence Lost

**Premonitions**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadly.

A/N: First of thanks for all the reviews and PMs I received. I am once again sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I was really trying to complete it shortly after the last chapter but I got a really bad case of writers block and couldn't seem to finish it. Plus work is as usual consuming my life so I am sorry that it took so long.

Oh and Shimo's sister Hibana has red hair. Shimo's hair is silver. If I messed that up somewhere in the chapter then I apologize.

**Chapter 13: Innocence Lost**

Sakura pushed herself up from her mattress her arms aching with the obvious signs of chakra exhaustion. The splitting headache she had had for a few weeks now seemed to have gotten worse during her uneasy rest if that was possible.

'Two months,' Sakura almost couldn't believe it.

They were in the almost finished living in this hell. She at first refused to count the days until their teammate, their protector, their savior walked through the door and removed them forever from this hell. But as the days slowly dragged by Sakura had allowed a small flicker of hope to once again catch hold in her heart, now only twenty days separated Ino and herself from freedom.

And the best part was they had so far gotten away with just their techniques against even the more talented shinobi who called upon them for their services. The only problem was so far they had discovered very little about the Cloud's upcoming offensive against their home village.

Sakura turned her head toward her still sleeping companion only to have her neck pop sending a shot of pain through her entire body. She yelped in surprise causing Ino's light blue eyes to flicker open and settle on the pink haired kunoichi.

"Hey Forehead you ok?" Ino questioned as she stretched her aching body.

"Yeah just a little sore how about you?" Sakura questioned rubbing her neck in attempt to work the knot out of her muscles.

"The same as always," Ino managed a small grin.

"You two better be up already, we have work to do!" a strong female voice came from the other side of the door that separated their quarters from the hallway.

"When this is over I am going put a kunai in that bitch's heart," Ino sneered gaining a weak smile from Sakura.

"Come on Ino we better get to work or we will have to finish after hours," Sakura responded as she pushed herself up into a standing position.

Sakura moved to the door and lifted the latch and noticed it was not locked. There was no need to lock the doors anymore Sakura doubted in her present condition that she could make it to the Fire country border before she passed out. She knew Naruto had a box of solider pills in his possession that was for their escape. But until he arrived to save them they were constantly in a state of severe chakra exhaustion.

Pushing to door open Sakura and Ino filled out into the hallway and turned to the right and approached another heavy wooden door. Knocking twice the door creaked open and allowed Sakura and Ino to move into the ornate hallway that was used for customers. Sakura and Ino moved quickly as they began to gather up the various linens scattered through the rooms and stuffed them into several baskets.

Ino moved quickly as she stepped out into the warm, clean, mountain air and proceeded to begin washing the various articles of clothing and bedding in the small water basin that was situated in the back of the building. Her keen eyes quickly noticed the pair of yellow eyes watching Sakura and her from the shadows as they washed the dirty linens.

The eyes were a constant reminder that Naruto was nearby. The small toad had been with them since the beginning and while it had never spoken or even revealed itself fully to either herself or Sakura, Ino was determined to reward the amphibian's diligence once she was back in Konoha. She would simply need to ask Naruto to summon the creature and then she would hug the little bastard until his eyes popped out.

"Ino," Sakura whispered causing Ino awaken from her humorous daydream.

"Wha…" Ino started as before noticing Sakura's eyes looking off to the left.

Ino followed her fellow kunoichi's gaze until her eyes also rested on the three men standing on the other side of the wall watching them. Ino instantly recognized the three men even without their mutilated Mist forehead protectors. Her eyes narrowed as the three men disappeared behind the fence.

"I don't like this," Sakura announced her keen mind beginning to churn.

"What do you think they want?" Ino questioned.

"Well they may be planning revenge for the death of their comrade or they could just be looking to try to rape us again," Sakura responded.

"Should we tell Naruto?" Ino whispered careful not to allow anyone else to hear.

"He probably already knows," Sakura responded as she motioned toward the shadows where the toad had been hidden.

"We should be prepared," Ino reasoned as she hung up several clean but soaked sheets to dry.

"I agree there is no telling what they are planning," Sakura responded as she moved to give Ino a hand.

Five hours later the sun was beginning to set and the brothel was busy with women attempting to make themselves more attractive. Sakura had to admit she didn't really mind this part of the mission. Very rarely did she take the time to fix her hair and put on more then a very light amount of make up. Even when Ino and herself went to a club or to a festival she didn't take the amount of time she did ever night in this hell hole.

"You look nice tonight Fore-head," Ino joked as she pulled a silk kimono around her slender body.

"You too Pig," Sakura smiled as she finished applying the last bit of mascara to her eye lashes.

Sakura watched as Ino tied her long platinum blonde hair up into a tight bun. And then remove several kunai from their sleeping mats and deposited them high on her thigh. Sakura had already hidden several of the razor sharp knives on her person and was now in the midst of attempting to gather enough chakra to cast her genjustu, but she needed to be careful not to gather the charka too fast or it would alert any nearby shinobi. Ino also had begun preparing her body for the night ahead her body ached as she pulled charka from it molding it in preparation for her technique.

"It is time get your asses out here and make some money," a man's voice called from the other side of the door.

Sakura sighed as she moved slowly to the door wondering if tonight would be the night that her genjustu would fail her and she would actually have to resort to sleeping with one of her patrons.

Sakura followed Ino out into the expansive lobby of the brothel as the fat little man flicked a switch on the wall that lit up the red lantern on the outside of the building. It would be only a matter of time now until the filth started wandering in looking for the company a beautiful woman.

"You all know what to do," the man sneered as he sat nodded to the madam of the house and shut the door to the upstairs behind him.

"Ok ladies, it's time," the older women sneered as she walked around the end of the bar taking up her position behind it for the night.

Sakura sat down on a circular couch across the room from the women and shut her eyes. This had become a tradition, every night when the brothel would open for business she would take a seat in the same spot and shut her eyes and offer a prayer to who ever was listening. Ino would often join her but tonight Ino seemed to be preoccupied with the visit from the three former Mist shinobi.

Ino did not like not knowing what was going to happen next. She craved, even needed the control over her own destiny and the sudden appearance of the three men who threatened their mission the most was unsettling for her.

"Ino?" Sakura whispered.

"What?" Ino hissed as she smiled at an older man who seemed to frequent the brothel.

Ino followed Sakura's gaze until it fell on the man who had just walked through the door. His flowing green hair spilled out from his scarred Mist forehead protector. He gave the two women an evil grin before heading toward the bar to have a word with the madam.

Ino watched the man intently, resisting the urge to pull a kunai from her thigh and throw the deadly weapon into the man's spinal column. She stole a quick glance back at Sakura not wanting to take her eyes off the large shinobi.

Sakura was also watching the green haired man intently her fingers nervously played with the sleeves of her kimono.

'This is not good,' Sakura pondered as she motioned to Ino to look toward the bar again.

The man smiled at the women behind the bar as she quickly opened the door to the upper level of the building. Sakura and Ino watched in amazement as the man disappeared into the shadows of the stairwell.

"Well what do you think?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't have any idea; I only know that as long as he is here we are not safe. Not only did he try to kill Naruto and rape us but his two companions are no where to be found," Ino whispered back disguising the action with her sleeved as she waved to a patron from across the room.

Sakura instantly looked to the corner of the room and to her shock did not see the two carefully hidden yellow eyes in the corner. This meant only two things, either the toad had already left to inform Naruto of the man's presence, or the toad had never returned from this afternoon. The last opinion scared Sakura to her core. In their condition, Ino and herself stood no chance of winning against the former Mist ninja. Plus the fact that any battle between them would certainly bring several Cloud shinobi to investigate.

"Shit we are screwed," Sakura announced as she motioned Ino to look toward the toads vacant hiding place.

"Don't worry Sakura, Naruto is probably on his way," Ino placed her right hand on top of Sakura's and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You two are coming with me," a deep voice announce from behind them.

Sakura and Ino both froze as she large missing ninja appeared from behind them. He grinned at them evilly as the two women shrunk back in fear.

"Oh come now there is nothing to fear I simply want to make us of your services come lets get some sake," the man smiled disguising his true intentions.

The man snapped his fingers and the women behind the bar appeared beside the trio with a tray and a few bottles of sake. The woman was obviously nervous about the man's presence as she quickly sat the sake down on the table in front of Sakura and Ino and scurried back to the bar. The large man quickly grabbed on of the bottles and drank from it as the two women in front of him eyed him carefully.

"Come on, there is another bottle for the two of you," the man pointed toward the second bottle of sake still resting on the tray.

Sakura offered a small forced smile before reaching for the bottle and pouring some of its contents into two of the cups that had been provided. She offered on of the cups to Ino, who tentatively excepted the intoxicating beverage.

Sakura slowly sipped the drink and felt the hot liquid roll down her throat. The man smiled as she watched the two women drink.

"That's my good girls," the man smiled evilly his mood suddenly shifting.

He leaned in close to Sakura and Ino his head resting between the two of them close enough for him to whisper.

"It is such a shame, if you two weren't kunoichi from Konoha I wouldn't have had to do this," the man whispered.

Sakura leapt away from the man as he relaxed back against the couch as Ino started to reach for the kunai hidden on her body. The man made no move to stop the two kunoichi he simply kept the same wicked grin on his face as he watch the two ninja move to strike.

Sakura was still in shock as she moved without thinking about it her instincts took over as she lunged at the man only to collapse on the floor crushing the small table in front of the man and spilling the sake all over her self. Ino's eyes widened as her vision began to cloud, she pinched her eyes shut and opened them again but all she could make out was the man's general shape. The last think the two women heard was the man's laughter as they slipped into unconsciousness.

Sakura's emerald eyes opened slowly, she blinked trying to focus on her surroundings. He head ached and she attempted to reach up and rub her temples but discovered she couldn't move. Suddenly realization flashed through her mind and her eyes shot open completely. She noticed her hands were bound as were her feet. She turned her head trying to see what else was in the room.

Ino was slumped up against the far wall apparently not yet conscious from the poison they had ingested.

'Fuck I can't believe this is happening,' Sakura thought as she continued to scan the room to see if she could determine where Ino and her self were at.

"Sa-Sakura," Ino's ocean blue eyes opened slowly as she began to regain consciousness.

"Ino are you ok?" Sakura questioned as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Yeah I guess where the fuck are we?" Ino questioned as she looked around the small room.

"I have no idea I have never seen this room before and I doubt if we are still in the village judging from the trees outside," Sakura responded just noticing the window on the far side of the room.

"Looks like the two of you are finally awake," the voice sent shivers up and down the women's spines.

Sakura turned to the door and saw the green haired shinobi walk through the open door followed by another man Sakura had never seen before. His headband announced him as a Cloud shinobi.

"Is this them?" the tall Cloud shinobi questioned.

"Yes, I sent my other two men to deal with the man that was with them, but I have no evidence that he actually is a Konoha shinobi. They probably were just using him to get into the Lightning Country," the former Mist shinobi responded.

"Are they up to the task? He is quite powerful," the Cloud shinobi questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Does it really matter if they kill the man or not they distracted him long enough to get these two out of the village their lives mean nothing to me if they are not strong enough to come back alive," the green haired man grinned.

"Tsume is quite powerful he was placed on my team for a reason, you would be wise not to underestimate him," the nameless Cloud shinobi responded.

"I know full well how powerful he is and I have taken precautions to ensure the success of my men's mission," the tall missing nin replied.

Naruto could easily handle to two former Mist nins and once he recognized them he would know something was up if he didn't already. But he probably had no idea where the where considering Sakura had no idea herself. Plus the Cloud shinobi knew Naruto's other persona seemingly personally and the green haired ninja seemed to have something up his sleeve to deal with Naruto when he was finished with the two ill fated former Mist shinobi.

"To think Konoha would send such accomplished kunoichi as Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino to their deaths," the Kumo shinobi smiled evilly pulling Sakura out of your thoughts.

Ino looked up toward the man with wide eyes full of worry and surprise.

"My payment?" the green haired shinobi questioned.

"Very well I will send word to have the funds collected for you, I will return in the morning with a squad to escort this trash to Kumogakure for interrogation and imprisonment, until then you may do what you like with them," the tall Kumo shinobi gave the man a wicked grin which was returned in turn.

"Thank you very much," the man smiled as he closed the door behind him leaving the two women to contemplate their future.

"Sakura we have to get out of here now," Ino hissed as she fought against her bindings.

"I know, but I can't mold even a small amount of chakra what ever he gave us must be blocking us from using chakra. Plus these ropes have been imbedded with chakra I couldn't break them even if I had all of my chakra at my disposal," Sakura responded as she strained to break her bonds.

"So what we are just supposed to sit here until they haul us off the Kumogakure tomorrow?" Ino questioned.

"No get over here and see if you can untie these ropes around my wrists," Sakura ordered.

"Don't you think they would have thought about that before they bound us Sakura?" Ino questioned.

"Got any other ideas? Because I am fresh out," Sakura responded a slight bit of anxiety evident in her voice.

An hour past and Ino finally gave up trying to untie Sakura and collapsed on the floor.

"How long until this shit is out of our systems?" Ino questioned.

"I don't know Tsunade-taichou taught us how to make something similar to this that caused the subject to be unable to mold chakra the correct way for up to twenty four hours," Sakura responded as she laid back against the wall and stared out the window.

"Hey Sakura…?" Ino questioned.

"Yeah?" Sakura whispered.

"Naruto is coming right?" Ino whispered back.

"I..." Sakura started.

"It is just you have been teammates a long time and well you know him better then anyone else besides Jiraiya-sama," Ino interrupted.

"Ino if I know Naruto he would trail us all the way to Kumogakure in order to take us home, he never fails a mission," Sakura allowed her self a small smile.

"Your right Sakura I don't know what I was thinking," Ino responded.

"So Naruto is his real name?" the male voice from the doorway startled Sakura and Ino.

"What do you want?" Ino spat attempting to be brave.

"I think we all know what I want and I am going to get what I want one way or the other," the green haired man grinned as he took a step forward.

"Fuck you!" Ino screamed as the man reached out for her.

"I see you are getting the idea," the man replied as he hauled Ino to her feet by her hair.

His lips slammed into hers causing her to attempt to recoil only to be stopped by the man's suffocating embrace. Sakura watched in horror as Ino feebly attempted to free her self from the kiss.

"That was pitiful lets see if your friend can do any better," the green haired shinobi replied as he let Ino fall to the ground and moved toward Sakura.

As the large man neared Sakura, Ino managed to trip him with her feet causing the man to fall forward a few feet away from Sakura.

"You fucking bitch!" the man screamed as he kicked Ino in the face sending the women flying into the wall.

Ino smiled as the man picked himself up a small line of blood dripping from her mouth.

"I was going to try and keep this as gentle as possible but now I guess I will have to punish the two of you!" the man screamed as he pulled Sakura up by her neck.

"LET HER GO!" a deep voice echoed through the room.

The man's eyes widened as he dropped the pink haired kunoichi and looked around his eyes finally settling on the two red embers burning in the darkness outside the room's window.

"I see you managed to defeat my subordinates," the green man announced his lips pressed into a thin line.

To Sakura's absolute joy Naruto rocketed through the window and landed in a crouch several feet away from her tormentor. His muscles tensed as he stood, his eyes burned a deep crimson as they seemingly danced with a fiery rage.

"You are already a dead man, if you don't want your death to be slow you will release the women now!" Naruto's baritone voice growled out.

The former Mist shinobi studied the large blonde for a minute seemingly searching for something before an evil grin crossed his face.

"You are the one who is a dead man, in fact you're already dead you just don't know it yet!" the evil shinobi laughed.

Naruto stared at the man as if he had grown another head.

"My subordinates didn't seem to be up to the challenge of killing you but they did complete their mission," the man responded to Naruto's questioning gaze.

Naruto could not comprehend what the man was so confident about. The two men Naruto had been attacked by were easily disposed of and they had only managed to inflict one shallow scratch across his right cheek.

"Looks like I am going to have to spell it out for you," the former Mist ninja grinned as realization dawned on Sakura.

"Naruto he is a poison user!" Sakura screamed as the man produced a kunai and charged Naruto.

Naruto's right hand tightened around the pummel of his ninjato as the man closed in on him. The man feinted to the right before slashing left; a move Naruto easily saw through his ninjato erupted from its scabbard and came down as the man thrust the kunai forward.

Naruto expected to feel the resistance of the blade hitting the man's humerus but to his surprise felt only the blade slip from his had as his vision distorted. Naruto turned and saw Sakura and Ino looking at him with absolute horror in their eyes. His own eyes followed their gaze to the kunai sticking in his side just below his armpit.

Blood erupted from his mouth as he slumped down still not comprehending what had just happened. The large green haired man stood before him his evil grin plastered across his face.

"Do you understand now? I knew full well my men could never defeat you, hell I couldn't defeat you in a fair fight so I evened the odds or more precisely tipped them in my favor. Though I must admit I never thought it would take you this long to feel the effects of my poison," the man announced as he turned and moved back toward Sakura and Ino.

Naruto couldn't reply his breathing was shallow he knew the kunai had punctured his left lung and the organ was now filling with blood. The wound would be fatal if the fox's chakra was not healing it. Yes, just a few more seconds and he would be fine. But nothing was happening he could feel the warm liquid beginning to pool around him as his vision faded from clear to hazy.

"I must say this does make things more interesting. Now I can have an audience while I fuck these two into submission!" the former Mist shinobi bellowed as he grabbed Sakura by the hair and threw here against the wall.

Naruto's now blue eyes went wide as he attempted to move but his body would not respond. It wasn't his wound that was hindering him from moving.

'It must be the poison, it is blocking my chakra,' Naruto's thoughts raced

'**USE IT!**' a voice deep in his mind echoed.

Sakura saw Naruto's sad eyes lock unto hers in an apology before closing. Her trembling body failed to respond as the man's tongue snaked across her neck.

A/N: Another chapter down! I have made a new resolution to work on my story for an hour a night so hopefully I can start putting more chapters out since this arc is kind of just a precursor to the actual story.

Next Chapter: Hell Unleashed

Scary I know.

Please Review

PM me if you have any questions about the character or story (except pairings and plot as those will be revealed in due time).


End file.
